


Meeting a Beautiful Stranger on the Road to Debut

by heartykeykeke



Category: Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: M/M, OngNiel is science, daniel is a shy virgin, everything is just my interpretation, forever in the ongniel trashcan, i could so picture this happening, i hope this story sheds light on ongniel behind the scenes, i really miss produce 101, i'm addicted to writing ongniel, never get enough of produce 101, ongniel are hotties, ongniel for life, ongniel rules, produce101 ruled, re-uploading from aff, realism at its best, romance comedy smut, seongwu tops in this story, seongwu turns daniel gay, the life behind becoming an idol, there is a lot of hot smut down the road, this story will make you question every look they've ever shared, wannables rule
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-17
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2019-03-20 05:20:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 34,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13710705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartykeykeke/pseuds/heartykeykeke
Summary: This story is cross from my account on AFF. It's not taken. No worries.Plot:Kang Daniel, Ong Seongwu, also known as Ongniel science. The comical, fluffy, sexy story of how strangers become friends and their growing bromance leads them to be closer, physical, and more intimate. Until a steamy incident occurs which blurs the lines of their relationship, revealing that one of them doesn't see the other as just a friend. Turns out Seongwu approached Daniel because he was attracted to him from the moment he laid eyes on him in the A-F Ranking Evaluations. What happens to their growing friendship when Seongwu's feelings can't be held back anymore and Daniel finds out his friend is not only anything but straight, but wants to do naughty things to him? Will he cut off their friendship or will he give in to his own curiousity?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story will only be posted up from my AFF account until the end of the P101 arc because I am not sure if I am going to continue with the Wanna One arc this year to be honest. I had wanted to continue on until their disbandment but the research requires takes a long time. Please understand if there is something not realistic in this story. I did try to make it realistic but at the time not everything was revealed about them and now I understand Ongniel quite a bit more. If you point it out I will change it. I hope to re-read and edit these chapters if I have the time. I will fix things then. Please take it with a grain of salt. I cannot make everything 100% realistic and I have my own creative ideas as well so there may be discrepencies with their real selves. Whether you choose to point it out or accept it as something I changed, it is up to you.
> 
> This is a series of detailed, realistic behind the scenes bromance/romantic/comical/sexy moments of Ongniel, Wanna One plus top 35 members during Produce 101 Season 2. It may continue on through Wanna One, so if you like it and want to read more you can go to my AFF account and continue from there. It is mainly Ongniel focused. The other relationships are focused on mainly in the Wanna One arc rather than the P101 arc.
> 
> Characters:
> 
> Featuring many others in Produce 101 top 60!! Mainly focused on Wanna One Members and couples/bromances within those members. But especially focused on Daniel couples or Seongwoo couples. Seongwoo X Daniel, Seongwoo X Samuel, Seongwoo X Guanlin, Seongwoo X Minhyun, Daniel X Seongwoo, Daniel X Jisung, Daniel X Woojin. Later in the story as cameos or side stories there are several Wanna One couples that arise: 2sung, Minhwan, Deephwi and Panwink

Chapter 1: First Meeting

Setting: Produce 101 dorms

Month: February-March

 

Ong Seongwu's POV

 

      I was excited to finally met the 100 other members I would be living with. I saw them on the recording day but I really only talked a bit to the people I had been sitting next to most of the time. We didn't speak about anything personal. We mostly commented on the trainees we knew or were impressed by as they came through the door and performed in front of BoA. Some were amazing. Others were downright atrocious, but in an almost amusing yet heart-clenching kind of way. Like that kid that stopped halfway through and was crying from all his bundled up, uncontrollable nerves. And that 30 year old who was handsome but unfortunately hopeless at dancing. Or those Cube trainees that knew next to nothing since they had started from scratch half a year ago. Their basic dance was adorable and brought up memories of my first dance lessons. 

     It was an exhuasting recording that had taken half the day. I felt sore from sitting on my butt and strung-out from the nerves I had felt before my own performance. Luckily, I had somehow charmed the judges and gotten an A ranking. I wasn't confident in my singing but it had been stable and the popping dance I prepared as my creme-de-le-creme had been enough to get me through. Those judges had been really tough though. Like an almost crazily mean, ruthlessly cut-throat kind of tough. How could they put three of the Nu'est members in D? There were a ton of people given a lower ranking although I was certain they were A rank material. I felt honored to be one of the very few to meet their high standards. 

      Even though part of me really wanted to just get to my assigned bunk and pass out before we started learning the first song tomorrow, another part of me wanted to socialize. I was at heart a social butterfly. I loved to talk to people and not only that, I also loved to joke around. I enjoyed making people laugh. My family and school friends said I was like a vitamin. I always brightened people's moods. I found that it was something that I was skilled at and luckily enjoyed.

     On top of that, I almost never got weighed down by negative emotions. I always tried to brush any off immediately and change the atmosphere with my wit, positivity and smiles. A smile was the best medicine, my grandmother and mother said. So, I learned from a young age to always walk around with a smile as often as my cheek muscles would allow it. Of course, I didn't usually wear one when I danced. That was a time to turn into a seductive wolf. Which also complemented my handsome features--or so I heard. Have to stay humble if you want to survive in this field. 

      I found out I had a lot of competition in this group actually. There were people just as funny, just as talkative, just as handsome and talented or more so as me. It made me want to work harder and not take this amazing opportunity for a speedy debut and global attention for granted. Maybe I didn't have total confidence I could make it, but I was going to put in one thousand hundred million billion katrillion kazillian more amount of effort into improving myself and snaring every man, woman, and child's hearts. More than all of those guys combined even! Really seriously daebak absolutely truly 100% to god honest! 

     When I walked in, it was chaos as expected. Over 60 guys were already there, checking out which room their name was listed in. I greeted all of them with a firm handshake, sometimes a friendly hug, and my trademark big, extremely charming smile. They were kind to me and fairly talkative, some more than others.

     A few guys gave me compliments for my performance, told me they were envious of my A rank and expressed interest in my company. Fantagio was fairly well known for its popular girl group, Hello Venus, as well as a fairly successful boy group, Astro. It was known for having trainees that were great at singing, dancing, acting, and modeling. We were trained in all areas ruthlessly, so I had come with some confidence I could get enough love from National Producers that I could enter into the top 11 to debut just like my fellow trainees had last season. I had been training at Fantagio less than a year but I was already bored with that lifestyle and itching to be on TV already.

     I recognized a few trainees I chatted with--Nuest's Minhyun and Dongho, Hot Shot's Ha Sungwoon, the cute young kids Lee Woo Jin, Lee Daehwi, and Kim Samuel, the talkative and hilariously expressive Yoo Jisung, and the popular rapper Jang Moonbok.

     My bags were really in the way though, so I decided to set my bags down and get settled in my room first before I went to greet others. I decided that I would politely greet every memeber, try to remember their names and chat with them a bit. It was my current goal. I was always setting some goal with myself before I let myself sleep. That's how I had made the most rapid progress of all the trainees my company had seen. I wouldn't sleep until I perfected one half of a song's choreography that I learned that afternoon one time, for example. 

     I ended up sharing a room with vocals Jeong Dongsu and Yoon Jae-chan and two rappers Kim Namhyun and Ha Minho. We were all either ranked A and B, so it was a room full of guys I could possibly end up training with the next few weeks and maybe even debuting with. I hoped that there would be some correlation with our skill ranks and how the National Producers felt affaction for us. But who knew what girls were thinking anyway? I had a sister but I still felt I had no clue.

     After choosing a bed--I won the top bunk in a game of rock scissors paper with the others who were close in age to me--I plopped down my things and went to the next room. Had to get going on that mission if I was going to sleep in the next hour or so. It was drawing near to midnight and there were 100 trainiees after all. I reckon I had only talked to about thirty so far. In the next room, I introduced myself to all B ranked members--Choi Junyoung, Kim Sangbin, Jang Dae-hyun.

     I learned they were staying here but there were some other guests that were just hanging out around one of the bunks chatting away. I could tell before even getting their names they were from MMO. The MMO trainees were the group that was the most talkative, outgoing and funny. I worried they would rival me and steal my attention as the chatty, witty, talkative clown. 

     Out of all the MMO trainees, Yoon Jisung and Kang Daniel stood out the most. Yoon Jisung I recalled being the most talkative. He had a variety of eye-capturing expressions and the biggest mouth. He was also the wittiest. He reminded me of a mom or your neighborhood ajumma. He friendly gave me a big hug and a few pats on the back. We did our formal introductions, then loosened up by cracking some jokes back and forth.

     I liked him. I thought we could be a great comedy duo if we worked together. Although, that could mean that our roles overlapped and in the end the National Producers would have to choose between us for who fits in the group. Two funny people was probably too much. But if you asked me, it really shouldn't be that way. The idol world had too many serious, self-centered people who didn't know how to crack an egg, let alone a joke. Wow, come to think of it, even in my thoughts I seem to talk a lot. Maybe I wasn't going to lose to blabbermouth Jisung after all. Ha ha. 

     He had a super low ranking anyway. I shouldn't be too worried about him, I figured with a shrug and a smug grin. He looked at my quizically but didn't seem to sense the insulting thoughts I had had.

     The other guy I remembered because he had pink hair and a foreign name. Oh, and just like me, he had a freckle mark on his face, a small dot beneath his right eye. His name was Kang Daniel. I overheard him say to another curious trainee that he had changed his name to that because his Korean name was too difficult to pronounce. I wondered what it was. Couldn't be wierder than my surname was.

     Ong...I had never met someone with the surname Ong in my life. People were always thinking I said Gong or Hong. So frustrating. But understandable I guess. My unusual name fit my unsual looks and character though, I figured. I could always use it to charm my audience with interesting stories of name mixups and puns like 'annyeonghaseyong, algessoyong'. My director got a crack out of it anyway.

     I suppose he had changed his hair pink to match his name, to seem more like a foreigner. But he was obviously Korean. He was a bit taller than me. I envied more so that he could switch between cute and sexy in an instant. I also envied his super broad shoulders. You could hang a load of laundry on them. Wash one load on his abs(Jisung had flashed the room cameras with them a minute ago and I just happened to be glancing that way)and then hang them up on his shoulders(had to be at least 60 centimeters which was just unfair since I was taller clearly). Broad shoulders and abs were the epitome of manliness and sexiness. Girls went crazy for them apparently. 

     I introduced myself and politely bowed 90 degrees. "Annyeonghaseyo! My name is Ong Seongwu from Fantagio. I am 23 years old. I have been training for 8 months but I promise you will see no rookie skills here. In charge of pop dancing, acting, and charming wit. I come from Seoul, my family is there too and all still living healthily, I have a very adorable sister who looks like me. If you're interested, I can give you her number. I think you are exactly her type--she has a thing for Koreans who act like foreigners especially with your pink hair, which is absolutely lovely and totally suits you by the way. And, um, I like cats, spicy food, ice cream and Bruno Mars. Looking forward to working with you!" 

     Daniel seemed taken aback at my rapid fire wordy speech. He was just standing there staring while I kept my hand out, waiting for him to take it. He was looking surprised and slightly laughing. Had I annoyed him? Confused him? Had he been able to understand me?  I wondered if I had spoken too fast. Did it seem like I could make a good rapper because actually I had tried, rather miserably--I could only rap fast not ride any kind of rhythm. Kind of like a cool chipmunk? The first time I had really attempted it was at the auditions because I wanted to appeal that I could do three different things, or at least I wasn't scared to try.

     I somehow wanted to get close to the MMO boys quickly. They seemed like someone I could be close friends with. They also seemed the most human if I had to say it? Like they were just here for fun and they weren't putting on any airs or trying to hide their faults to be as appealing as possible. And I wasn't lying about my sister. She was adorable and similar to me, yet more feminine looking of course. Stop picturing me in a dress! She did seem like she would have a thing for Daniel. I would have to call her and ask after our first broadcast. Then I could set up a date. 

     "Wow, that's quite an intro there, Ong-Ong. I better make mine longer too. Hate losing. Should I introduce my sister, too? But my sister is ugly and evil. I wouldn't wish that monster on anyone, even my worst enemy. You know what I mean? Ugh, sisters. Total pain. I took all the good genes and she's forever jealous. But lucky you. Your sister sounds like a doll. How about I take her out? Daniel is a bore, trust me. Just look at this face? Hello, earth to God Daniel? Our awesome a rank ong sung ong sung ong Sungwoo just sincerely introduced his entire profile. Yet you go ghost. Rude much? Hey, silly, wake up!"

     Jisung hit Daniel hard on the back. Daniel coughed like the air was coming into him all at once from a full minute of not breathing. He bowed a few times apologetically and gripped my hand. I grinned in satisfaction. Finally. Took long enough.

 

~.~.~.~.~

 

Kang Daniel's POV

 

     I don't know why exactly but I just kept staring. I couldn't find words, though I knew that I should politely bow as well and shake the hand he was handing out. I couldn't seem to get ahold of myself. I felt like I bumped into a celebrity.

     Ong Seongwu had to be one of the tallest people I had ever seen. And such a ridiculously handsome face. Speaking objectively here of course. If I was a girl, he would be the exact type that made me pass out on the street. He looked handsome enough to rival any actor or model. That was Fantagio trainees for you. They are famous for that. He was about the same height as me but his proportions and the confident way he held himself made him seem taller than me. 

     There was something about him that was extremely charming even at first glance, although he had barely said anything. Was it the mischievous crook to his slight, confident grin? The confident posture he carried naturally? The triangular constellation of freckles on his left cheek? The twinkle in his eyes as if he was thinking up his next joke? 

     I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I should greet him back. I was being rude just staring at him in silence. He seemed like a nice enough guy and quite funny. I didn't want to make any A ranker into an offended enemy. If we became friends, then I could have another person like Jisung that made me laugh. It would really shake off the nerves and pressure I felt being in this competition.

     I know I was excellent at not showing it, rather seeming laid back often. But for the MMO trainees it was likely our last shot. The director would not look kindly on failure to impress and get good rankings. It looked bad on the company. Maybe this Ong Seongwu could teach me some tricks that would help me get into A group. Singing I could use advice on and I didn't know much popping since I had always been about b-boy and martial arts-like tricks.

     "Nice to meet you. Let's work hard so we can debut together. I am Kang Daniel by the way."

     I bowed and shook his hand, keeping my head ducked down for an extra few seconds to express respect and forgiveness for my delay in greeting him. He gripped my hand snugly and patted my back. It seemed like he wasn't offended at least. Oh, thank god.

     We chatted a bit after that about various things. I found out lots of random details--he was a centimeter shorter than me, he could copy my Busan accent well, we both liked animals and spicy food, we had similar tastes in music, we both hated ghosts, we both thought it was import to support charities and spread awareness about global humanity issues, and we were both blood Type A. Which meant our personalities would likely click. Type A's were usually fast friends. We were also a bit shy, introverted, loyal and perfectionists. It was amazing the random directions our conversation went.

     I felt like we were becoming friendly already, or maybe that was just his nature to appeal as a close friend to all. You know, a stragy to get votes by appearing on TV more often and never being cut in an evil way. Good, I liked working with guys like that. Polite but not overly so. People who wanted to get close as quickly as possible despite age differences and get rid of all this awkwardness. We seemed similar, extremely so. I felt like I had come across a best friend I had lost contact over the years. Talking with him was natural and the time flew by. 

 

~.~.~.~.~

 

     Seongwu yawned, sinking further down the wall. It was past two now and he was clearly exhausted but forcing himself to stay awake until I excused him first. It was incredible how kind, considerate, and selflessly polite he was despite being a year older. By social standards he could boss me around and pretty much treat me however he wanted. I wouldn't be able to say a thing. But he seemed to have a pure, genuine heart. He probably wouldn't do that even with some annoying rude kid ten years younger tham him. He didn't even say anything yet about me not calling him hyung. I felt like calling him by his name closely, hoping that would help us become friendly more quickly.

     We were resting on the top bunk of my bed now where we had moved when people there wanted to sleep. Most people were asleep in the dorm and lots of lights were out. Jisung was asleep with his head on my lap and his legs crossed against the wall, hugging my big white rabbit doll. I absently patted his gelled hair, thinking I better make sure he washes it out and takes care of his impeccably complicated skin ritual. Or he would pout, throw a fit, and not speak to me for the whole day. This had indeed happened on a company camping trip last year. 

     Jisung hadn't wanted to be alone so he followed us. I knew he was feeling awkward, shy and a bit scared being without friends and family. He seemed outgoing but actually it took awhile for him to get close to people since he really needed to trust them. We had seen each other nearly every day for the last two years, so he was closest to me out of all the MMO trainees here.

     He had chatted a bit with us, but seemed content to listen to me and Seongwu chat and get to know each other. I figured he had just exhausted himself from all the talking and practicing he did today. Otherwise I would be the one on the sidelines adding commentary to make his jokes a bit funnier. That was usual. He was the master gag man and natural mc after all. I was good at supporting. I didn't really like being the center of attention. I ended up feeling burdened and pressured, then I would just freeze up and be no fun at all. I already was a bit of a bore to be with. I couldn't come up with many funny ideas on my own. 

     Luckily, Seongwu was similar in that aspect so I felt comfortable talking to him. We complimented each other. He loved to talk, I preferred to listen. I could enjoy his silly antics and occasionally jump in with my own. It was fun to laugh and follow whatever gags, expressions, dances or jokes he pulled out of his hat of tricks. I couldn't tell Jisung because I could sense he was suspicious and sensitive about it already, but Seongwu was even funnier than him. Seongwu was probably the funniest person I had ever met in my life. Especially when he started impersonations. Sometimes he gpt me cracking up with a simple look in his eyes. He was one hell of an actor as well as a comedian. I don't know how he pulled off female singers even. My cheeks hurt from continuously smiling. I was an avid smiler but never quite this much in such a short time. Well, my body was going to have to get used to it. I planned on keeping Seongwu by my side forever.

     "I am definitely going to do my best. See you in A ranking in no time. Maybe even by next week. I want to debut together."

     Seongwu gave me a gentle, playful punch on the shoulder. "In your dreams. You're stuck in B. Only jalepeno hot poppers allowed in A. Maybe we'll still debut together. I would like that."

     He yawned again, his mouth stretching wide as a hippo. How could someone's mouth be that big, I wondered. But everything about him seemed so--his body, his eyes, his feet, his face, his laugh, his sense of humor, his drive, his dreams, his confidence, his heart. He was a rare person to find and would almost be intimidating if he wasn't so nice and always smiling.

    My hand slipped naturally to his empty leg. I  patted his thigh and  smiled wider. He also lazily reached for my leg and copied the motion. I felt like a cat finally being petted by a human it had been trying to get attention from for hours. I held back my feeling to purr and vowed to lay more attention to my house cats.

    "You should go sleep. Big day tomorrow. Not going to be able to pop lock and drop it in this condition."

     His big dark eyes twinkled through droopy lids with what I was familiar was a fortelling sign of some witty, teasing remark. "Speak for yourself. You couldn't beat me no matter my condition. If I turned into an animal of all a sudden, I could still out dance you."

      "Maybe. I just pictured a rabbit with crazy flopping arms. Not too attractive. Compared to your usual self. Just wait a few weeks and then see. Bet I improve faster. Then I will push you down into B ranks, lower even," I teased back, not having the conference to believe that quite fullt.

     At least not the surpassing him part. He had proved in one minute how incredible of a dancer he was. Who knows what he would pull out with a full song worth. Compared to him I felt I lacked in many ways.

     "Looking forward to it. Next chat tomorrow, midnight, my place?"

     "Sure, if we're not too worn out. That's a date."

     I flashed him a cute wink, then I felt embarrassed. And curled my fingers in a cringinh while hiding my face. I never did that kind of thing. His shiver and freaked out expression as well as how he copied my fingers perfectly suggested he wasn't the type to pull out aegyo randomly either. Which could make us boring for broadcasting variety shows later. We should practice that later, getting comfortable with it. Or maybe he was fine with it, but he was doing that as a way to comfort me and soothe over my awkward feelings? He seemed like the kind of selfless, incredibly kind guy who would do that. 

     I knew I  needed to practice expressions in the mirror, but it felt so cringingly awkward and humiliating, I hadn't been able to manage more than a few minutes. Not like Jisung who was a master after 5 years of probably daily practice making various faces into mirrors and cameras. It was one of my greatest weaknesses. Sexy? That came naturally. I breathed that. I didn't need mirrors. Chic, manly and aloof? Easy as pie. Cute? Couldn't perform to save my own grandma in a coma(she's not).

     After that, Seongwu sent a double handed wave and another characteristic big, toothy, advertise worthy grin. Then he left and I set to work putting a big cranky baby like Jisung into his own bed. I wasn't going to get much sleep, but luckily I brought energy drinks with me and coffee as a back up. Most important thing was that I scored a terrific new friend. 


	2. Learning The Pick Me Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seongwu struggles with his new feelings and the Pick Me dance. But at least he makes friends with people in group A. Daniel gets serious about rising to group A, getting better at singing, mastering the dance, and becomes close to Lee Woojin. Sparking some jealousy in his other new friend. Though Daniel remains oblivious.

Chapter 2: Learning the Pick Me Dance

Setting: CJ E&M practice studios

Month: March

 

Ong Seongwu's POV

     I was really loving my blessed life today. First, I felt good about making friends yesterday. Especially Daniel. He was a great listener and he knew just how to respond to my quirks. We had a good time last night. I was looking forward to seeing him tonight. Even if we were exhausted, I was going to get in at least a few minutes conversation. Maybe I could sleep on his leg like Jisung had last night. He sure had squishy looking thighs. Lucky, lucky Jisung, getting that top-quality pillow anytime he wants. Eh-hem. Well, that was a perverted kind of thing to say. It came out of nowhere and was completely unlikely me. Ignore that, scratched from the record. 

     The second reason today was fabulous was because we learned the dance for our main song. It was called Naya Na (Pick Me). It was energetic and addicting with constant high notes we had to shout. The dance was rather difficult and always kept you moving. I loved all the spins, air punching, chest thumping and sexy swiper mic swiping. It was really my kind of dance. I was slow at picking up the choreography and I hated to disappoint the judges. But I was determined to get in their good graces again tomorrow. When I perfected this dance and blew them away at the last moment. Like chop chop chop chop suey! 

     I was in A group and we could only really spend time with each other. The other groups were on other rooms on a different floor. We were on the top floor, all wearing bubble gum pink jerseys. The B team had orange jerseys, C team yellow, D team green and F team grey. Ours were the most appealing of course. Since there would be a re-evaluation, we were spending all of today and tomorrow practicing the dance and the song with various vocal and dance trainers. I liked our trainers but Cheetah and Dun Mills were kind of scary. Kahi could be scary too, but luckily we were good at dancing so we didn't have to worry about angering her.

     I liked my group mates well enough. They were Lee Daehwi, Ha Sungwoon, Kim Taedong, Noh Taehyun, Kim Namhyung, Kim Samuel, and Park Woojin. It was easily getting close with the more talkative members, some of which I had talked to quite a bit before yesterday, like Daehwi, Sungwoon, Samuel and Taehyun. The others were a bit more quiet and kept to themselves, focused solely on business. No fun buns. The people I felt the closest and most comfortable with in this group so far were Sungwoon and Samuel. They happened to be on the more solidly talented, well-rounded in everything side.Like myself.

     Sungwoon was probably the best vocal out of all of us. The rest of us in the group had more expertise in rapping or dancing. Which was odd because I think most people expected people in group A to be amazing singers. When we tried to practice the song, it was a bit of a disaster. Almost no-one could properly hit the high notes in the song's chorus. We had to practice it much more. I wasn't so bad but the pitch didn't come out comfortably. I always felt like I was forcing it and when I was done singing the song one time around, I already felt a bit dizzy and light-headed.

     Samuel came over and sat down by my side in the corner while we were taking a break from group practice. The choreography was difficult initially, but after going through it nearly a hundred times in the last two hours with his expert coaching, my muscles were aching and my energy almost fully spent. I wiped my towel across my face, feeling embarassed to be seen sweating like a pig on the first day. I couldn't help still panting a bit--I had only sat down a minute ago. Samuel flashed me a weak smile and passed over an energy drink and water that the company left us to use as we wished. He wasn't sweating quite as much as me, but his face was flushed and he was panting worse.

     We tried to speak but for a few minutes all that came out was panting, grunting and exhausted sighs. I patted his shoulder, flashing a look of understanding and hopefully comfort. He showed me the okay sign and then the sign to wait a minute more for him to be able to talk. What a long day it had been and we had only been at it for six hours. We still had four more to go before we could return to the dorm, get a late dinner, and sleep. We would be waking up at 6 in the morning again tomorrow. It was a truly back-breaking schedule. However, we had to do it if we were going to perfect the song in two days before the ranking evaluation occurred. 

    "I think I'm getting the hang of it. How about you? Need any more pointers? I will spot you anytime," Samuel asked, leaning back against the wall and staring up at the cieling.

     Just like me, he was now finally able to remember how to breathe. Daehwi, Taehyun, and Sungwoon were resting on the far wall, drinking water and chatting. Taehyun had gotten close enough to Daehwi after practicing the dance together exclusively, Taehyun looked natural with his hand wrapped around Daehwi's small shoulders. The others were finished with their own short breaks and back to practicing.

     "I think that I have the choreo done finally. But I don't think it's possible to even sing this song while dancing like that. Have to choose one or the other to appeal to the judges with. Sungwoo is the only one I've seen so far that has enough breath halfway through to even sing in a somewhat audible voice."

     "Yeah, I envy that. My throat is more sore from cracking than any muscle in my body. If we're struggling this much, I wonder how everyone else is doing."

     "Well, B and C rank have a lot of people with dance experience. So, they're probably fine, maybe doing just as well as we are. They have more solid vocals too so they are probably doing better than us in that respect. They're not likely to faint in the middle of punching while busting out those high notes." 

     "Practice makes perfect, right? All we can do is keep trying."

     "Got that right. Never give up. I am deffinitely not losing my A rank. Pink is my color."

     We laughed and clasped hands in a brotherly manner. We sat there in silence, watching our group mates studying their reflections in the mirror. They punched the air from top to bottom, their tones rising to the pitch of a dolphins. The room echoed with sneakered stomps, squeaks, and "Tonight the star is me, it's me, it's me. Only waited for you, it's me, it's me, it's me. The person to steal your heart, it's me, it's me, it's me. The last person is only me, it's me, it's me." 

    My mind wandered to Daniel, trying to picture him doing this dance now. Surely, he couldn't sing it better than me? He had a low tone suited for mainly rapping and sub vocals. I doubted his range was broad enough. But he might be able to out-dance me, just maybe. I was curious how he was doing, if he was struggling and if he had anybody to help him out. I wasn't sure there was anybody in there better at dancing that could coach him actually. The best person for that was me. I cursed for the millionth time why BoA had stuck us in different groups. 

     Work hard buddy, work hard so we can be in the same group, I prayed. I was almost tempted to fudge up my dance routine during the evaluation so that I could go down. But then again, I might go down without trying the way my voice was cracking all the time singing the chorus. 

 

Kang Daniel's POV

 

     I regretted staying up so late with Seongwu last night. I only had two days to perfect this dance to impress the judges enough to get moved up during the evaluation. I needed to be ten times better than what my condition was allowing. I couldn't sing the song and I was having unusual difficulty executing the dance.

     Luckily, after lunch, three energy drinks and a short nap in one of the break rooms, my condition was much better. I was able to get the choreography down for the whole song in just three hours. That was a new record. When the trainers came by, I confidently said I could dance the whole song. I was praised for speedy memorization. Then I was given the role of helping those in B that struggled to learn it up until now. I took up that role with honor and led the team as best as possible. Some, like Jaehwan, had no natural dancing talent and lacked experience though.  After I saw people improving because of my coaching, I felt good about myself and started wondering if I should try to be a leader of the groups we would be put into later.

     The song, however, was going to be impossible for me. I had pretty much given up on that. I figured I would focus on my expressions by practicing in the mirror like I hated oh so freaking much. If I did the choreography above and beyond expectations, at least the judges would feel I improved a lot. I couldn't really be expected to sing this song's chorus anyway. That was clearly for a high tone main vocal with an extensive range. I couldn't dream of hitting high notes like that. On stage, I would just have to lip-sync the 'it's me' parts.

     I made a deal with myself that I would do it at home. I would just have to cut back on my time with Sungwoo. Or maybe he could help me? Wasn't he a pretty solid singer? But was he a more solid singer than Woojin?

     Lee Woojin was the youngest trainee and he was also in the B ranks with me. Along with some other people I knew or was quickly getting friendly with: Im Youngmin, Kim Seongri, Jang Dongsu, and Jung Sewoon. These guys were doing much better than I expected. I had a good feeling they were going to be moving up.

     I had been clinging to them, following their practice sessions, bouncing off ideas, sneaking tips here and there. Though I didn't feel bad about it. They were very willing to help and most of them pretty kind. They were willing to trade off tips for me to judge their choreography closely and pin-point the exact details of where they were going wrong.

     I had mostly worked extensively with Lee Woojin. I found him irresistably cute. He was young, pure, boyish, naturally cute, and kind to a fault. He was also an incredible singer with a high tone since he obviously hadn't hit the unfortunate period of puberty. Until then, he was known as having an angel's voice blessed from heaven. I stuck with him through most of the day, helping him with his choreography. He helped me a bit with singing during our earlier lesssons and had promised to help me out more tonight if I needed it. And I think I really did. My singing was hopeless.

     If I wanted to be able to go up, then I needed to at least be half-way decent. Even if my voice cracked, if I was solid in the other parts other than the chorus, I could score big points with the judges. They would look at it as a minor hiccup and praise me for not giving up. I absolutely had to get up to A. That's where the best were. That's where Sungwoo was.

     I wanted to be on TV with him wearing that cool grey school uniform, standing on the highest stage, getting all the screen time. I wanted to be a person that deserved that. Just like hyung was. I truly envied him, but I wanted to show that I could prove him wrong. And I could do this impressive feat in just two days. Then he could never joke about our skills gap again. I wanted to see him speechless for a change when I walked through those doors upstairs. Pink was my color, after all. 

 

Ong Seongwu's POV 

 

     I had difficulty sleeping the second night in the dorms. After dinner, I waited for Daniel to visit my room. He swang by before midnight, but it was only to tell me he had to pass tonight. He said that he had focused on practicing the choreography so much in the study that he wanted to spend some time working on just his singing. I suggested that he practice with me, but he said that he didn't want to show how awful he was. I promised that I wouldn't make much fun. He then said that I must be tired too and that I should get a good rest. Unless I wanted to be knocked down to B and have my position stolen. Ha, ha, AS IF. In your dreams only, hotshot.

     I had spent three hours practicing the song with Sungwoon and I felt confident mostly that my voice wouldn't crack on the evaluation video. Cross your fingers, hope to die, stick a needle in your eye, knock on wood, throw salt over your shoulder--was it one handful or two? Oh who cares, I was too tired and disappointed to even talk to myself.

    I considered going out of my room and finding some other trainee to talk to. But I doubted I could connect with anyone but Daniel. Maybe Jisung? I got up and went to find him. Though when I went in the room, I was hurt to find Woojin up in Daniel's bed as well. The three of them were practicing singing and occasionally laughing.

    Daniel gave the young boy a huge toothy grin, his almond eyes scrunching up until the chocolatey pupils were barely visible. He affectionately rubbed his hand over Woojin's small cloud of dark, pillowy hair. Well, they had surely gotten ridiculously close in a few hours. It took me just as long to get a measely pat on the leg. Hmph. Not fair. 

     Maybe I wasn't anything special to him. Maybe Daniel had that kind of personality where he pretended to be close to anyone to get what he wanted. Maybe I was just being used for my know-how in popping. We had talked about dance a lot yesterday. I felt an uncomfortable pinch in my chest and found myself pout-frowing. Well, now I see why he hadn't wanted me to ask him. He had someone in his team much better at singing than me, better than nearly anybody really. I felt lonely and cast-aside.

    They didn't seem to notice me when I came in or when I left. Well, good for him, I thought bitterly. He made friends, he's not suffering one bit. Well, neither are you, I assured myself. You made friends, too. I went to go find Sungwoon, Daehwi, and Samuel. Maybe they weren't too tired for a chat. 

 

 

    The next day was evaluation day. We would be shooting the evaluation video at 5 pm and then all going out for dinner. The judges would look at our videos while we were out and give us their feedback the next morning. Then we would change rooms, change shirts to match the rank colors, and then continue on with the practice for the music video shooting in three days.

     I threw myself into practice, trying to avoid that black puddle of negativity in my mind. I had tried to forget about what happened with Daniel and not get sensitive about it, honestly. I mean, of course it was okay for him to have other friends. And for me to, as well. It's not like I could call him my friend even, not after just one day. Friends needed, what, at least a month to be official? Something like that seemed right to me. I felt like some obsessive fan girl, insisting that no one else could like my bias and getting jealous at anyone he so much as said hello to. Come on, that was definitely something my sister would do and I was surely above that. Wasn't I? Shenanigans, maybe we are more similar than I had thought. 

     Truthfully Samuel, Daewhi, and Sungwoon really did take my mind off of it for awhile. At least I was able to escape from my nasty feelings and confused monologues during practice. We talked and joked around on breaks between our intense bouts of practicing. We pretty much didn't even need to practice the last two hours before the evaluation, but we were all perfectionists and we did it just in case. If we were used to the song, then hopefully it would appear effortless in front of the camera. 

     Luckily, all my worry was for nothing. I didn't get nervous or mess up in front of the camera. My single voice crack was barily noticible too. I was confident I did well. Not only that, I was sure that the other members in A did well enough not to be moved down. However, I wasn't sure if there was some cut-off limit for how many people could be in A rank or how many people could move up. I hoped it was limitless. BoA said that we wouldn't be given our rank revealing envelopes until after members from other groups came in. I could protect my spot, right? 

     I became anxious when hearing foot steps coming up the stairs. Was Daniel going to be there? It seemed like he might considering how hard he was practicing. I heard him up singing until three this morning. Of course, for some reason I couldn't sleep not knowing whether he was still up with Woojin or not. I really was acting like a silly fan girl...I sighed deeply.

     If he was here, how should I react? I looked in the mirror and practiced expressions. Should I pretend I wasn't upset and act ecstatic for him? Should I be cool and aloof? Should I act upset? Should I just act surprised? Should I give a look like yes-I-forsaw-this-happening-young-grasshopper-you-are-now-worthy? Ah, this was driving me nuts! I started pulling out my hair.

     Samuel gave me a quizzical, concered look, and grabbed my wrist to stop me. He pulled my arm down to rest on his leg and linked our fingers together, giving a comforting squeeze and a smile. "Hyung, don't worry. They're not going to bump you down. If anyone is going, it's going to be me."

     I knew that he was concerened about his voice cracking in the evaluation a lot. I felt bad for making him misundertand the reason for my sudden mood swing and adding to his worries. I pat his shoulder comfortingly, putting on a stoic face. That's right. When you don't know how to act, an ambiguous, unreadable expression is the best. Then people interpretted it however they wanted, and if they asked you about it later, you could insist it was a big misunderstanding, you were deffinitely feeling the complete opposite. 

     Daniel was one of the last to walk in, covered in a orange jersey, an A rank slip in hand, his pink-blond hair slicked back. He poked his head in coyly, sprouting an I-told-you-so, mischevious grin. He looked right at me first and grinned even more cheekily. People applauded as they did all the members who had successfully jumped into the highest rank. Daniel continued to lock eyes with me as he gave a mocking clap and surprised expression. I quickly turned away, checking my expression in the mirror. Don't look upset or happy, just look stoic, I reminded myself.

     The other trainees that ended up entering our studio were Lee Woojin (darnit darnit darnit), Woo Jinyoung, Im Youngmin, Kim Sangbin and Ahn Hyungseob. Those are the trainees I recognized anyway. I met everyone but it was hard to remember names. Especially those mediocre people who didn't especially stand out. I was actually happy for Daniel. He had worked hard, being able to digest the song well enough in just two days that he jumped the ranks. I wished I could give him a hug and congratulate him. But even if we could do that right then, I wouldn't. Not when my mood was going further in the pits. At this point, I was pretty much in China.

     It bothered me seeing him sitting next to Woojin, holding his hand, wrapping his arm around his shoulders, whispering and giggling like the closest of friends. I felt like they could be mocking me even. Daniel could be telling something private I said the other day and making it into a big joke. I decided to ignore him completely. Unless he approached me first. Ugh, get a room lovebirds.

     After everyone arrived, it was timid to reveal A's ranks. I was the last one called. Luckily, none of us got moved down. We projected our positions. Thus, our group became much larger, nearing twenty people. 

     Within an hour, the newbies changed into pink jerseys and we started practicing from the top together. Now we needed to work on being in sync and changing formations correctly. The first center had yet to be decided yet. I watched Daniel out of the corner of my eye. He was dancing a few feet to my left in the row behind me. He was fully focused on the mirror, his expression fierce. I was impressed to see that he had not only digested the moves perfectly, he had already put his own sexy, suave, b-boy flare to it. Somehow I felt like an akward giraffe doing tap dance next to him.

    Dangit dangit dangit! Why did he have to be so cool though? Why did he have to be so cool AND not want to be my best friend? That was the real concern eating away at me. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I am having a lot of fun writing in Seongwu's point of view. I picture him as being so childish, talkative and a bit emotional. Plus, a bit full of himself in a good way and cutely neurotic. He probably talks to himself all the time and says the most adorable things(half of what actually comes out is adorable anyway, so I imagine his mind like cotton candy). What about you? That's just my interpretation.
> 
> Good lord, Seongwu is so handsome and yet boyishly lovely. Such an expressive face! He must be a fantastic actor! 
> 
> Comment and let me know what you think! Is everything accurate enough? Is there something you specifically want to see from any Wanna One members? Ongniel moments are coming up a galore in the future (after Miss Ongy stops being prissy prickly pants but how could you not after being ditched by your best bud?). Next episode will explain more of Daniel's feelings and maybe they will make up? Maybe they will fight? Maybe Ong will rip out pretty Woojin's silky hair in the most epic of catfights? Hmm, who knows...


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seongwu is all hot/gloomy/broody, Daniel is dumb puppy clueless until Jisung steps in to put him in line, Ongniel have their first little fight, make up, and share their first hug. It starts to get a bit obvious that Seongwu has more than just feelings of friendship on his mind. And that Daniel cares about Seongwu more than he realizes.

Chapter 3: Sorry, I Did Wrong

Setting: Produce 101 dorms

Month: March

 

 

Kang Daniel's POV

 

     I continuously stole glances at Seongwu while we were practicing. His expressions since I came in were unreadable and it unnerved me a bit. I expected him to at least look surprised, ecstatic, maybe proud at my appearance. If anything though, I felt like he was upset and giving me the cold shoulder. Or was I imagining that? 

     I realized later on that he really was. We stopped dancing and our eyes met coincidentally in the mirror(well that was what I had been aiming for, sure took him long enough to look my way). I wanted his attention so I could flash a big, satisfied grin and wave at him. I loved being a tease and proving people's expectations of me wrong. I expected him to make an exaggerated face and funny gesture at me. But his expression remained blank. His eyes quickly drifted in another direction. He was clearly pretended not to see me.

     I frown pouted. Well, that was an unusual unexpected reaction. What had his panties in a bunch? He hadn't moved down. He got some new friends. Did he see me as a threat? We couldn't be friends now since this was a competition and the reality just hit him now that I had made the impossible feat of improving immensely in two days and also succeeding in winning the trainers favor? Was that it? Okay, well, I could understand that. It wouldn't be the first time that happened. But it bummed me out. I actually really liked that guy. He was refreshing, hilarious, and I felt like he could really get me. Like Jisung did. He could become my second BFF. 

     He couldn't possibly be sulking because I didn't hang out with him last night, right? That would be too childish. He was a year older than me so he was more mature surely. If I wouldn't feel that way over something small like that considering our circumstances with the evaluation, then I absolutely was certain he wouldn't either. Nah, it couldn't be.

 

 

     Later on in the dorm, I was putting lotion on my skin after a shower. I had the tendency to dry up so I had to apply two layers a day, especially if I was sweating all the water out of my body like I had been for the last few weeks because of this show.

     Jisung had washed up with me because there were others that needed to shower and not enough bathrooms to go one by one so we were all doubling or trippling up. We were comfortable enough that even being half-naked around each other didn't bother us in the least. Jisung was like family, like a cousin or an aunt. Still we had to keep our boxers on and just wash our hair and wipe our bodies with soap and water.

    Sometimes, Jisung put cleanser on my face and dried my hair, since I also had a tendency to be exceptionally lazy. Jisung flipped out at me like a nagging mom if he caught me even thinking about trying to go to bed without doing so. Pestering me about going bald in my thirties and getting old man wrinkles and freckles all over my skin. He had a sixth sense, I tell you--he always knew I was lying. Sometimes he knew I was going to lie before I even started. I wonder if I had some nervous tick I hadn't realized yet?

     "Do you need some help with that?"

      I smiled over my shoulder, having been caught red-handed trying to spread lotion on my back. I just couldn't reach the middle over my extremely broad shoulders.

     I knew it was one of my top charming points--next to my eye freckle and my busan acccent that slipped out unintentionally when I was nervous or excited (I enjoy reading fans comments, what can I say? I learn new things about my self as well as where my attractiveness lies). But this one point was a bit of a hindrance for me. Sometimes shirts didn't fit and they usually got worn out faster than was considered normal.

     And suits or uniforms? I had to get them specially tailored. Luckily, they had taken our measurements before we came onto the show for official broadcast, so I would be able to move comfortably. Otherwise my shirt would likely rip at the seams and fall off while I was dancing during recording. Then again, I might get more votes for that, those abs I had been building the past six months being revealed to the public for the first time. I was confident about them, I had gotten several compliments and envious looks from other trainees because Jisung was a freaking pervert who kept flashing my body whenever he had the chance just to see people's reactions. But most likely because he thought using our friendship and amusing interactions would get us both lots more broadcasting time in a few weeks when they started putting out the episode and various dorm cuts.

     I was greedy for air time and votes from the National Producers too, but I wasn't desperate enough to sacrifice my body. Last thing I wanted was for fans to think I was a self obsessed extortionist. It made me feel cheap and dirty. I wanted people to like me for me, and one of those qualities was I was a bit shy and private. I was confident but I didn't display it openly. I let it show through my dancing and my expressions at that time. That's where Kang Daniel shined the most. Outside of the studio, he was a shy, boyish, usually quiet, often smiling and laughing, nice guy that tried to keep peace, get along with everyone, and care for his juniors.

     I wanted the audiences to see the real me and love me honestly. If I created some character, then that would mean that I would have to keep up appearances my whole career. The pressure would eventually exhaust me and I would slip up. Then fans would say I changed or worry something was wrong with me. Or they would be upset that I had been playing an act, turn their backs on me and my career would go down the toilet after years of blood, sweat, and tears(figuratively, I wasn't much of a crier at all actually, that was all Jisung). I had seen it go either way with idols hundreds of times and it was never pretty.

      I needed to look out for myself and think carefully of the possible consequences of all my actions and choices from early on in the debut process. Fans were going to be watching my every move, judging me. I had decided not to be burdened by it, worried that I would act in some odd way from a desire to impress. I was focusing fully on staying true to myself. It was good to see some people sticking to that as well, but kind of pitiful and concerning to see the majority who were likely putting on a show. 

     Jisung took the lotion puddling in my hands and rubbed it over my back where I had been struggling to reach. That pesky valley between my shoulder blades. I swear it was like climbing over a mountain.

     "After this, I am going to dry your hair. Don't even try sneaking out to get a snack, mister. You know eating after 8 will make you gain weight again and your face will swell like a chipmunk. And I have certainly told you a million times not to ruin that pretty skin by not properly nutritioning it. Remember how you were a pizza face last year? I don't want to use my best trouble and recovery products all on you again. They cost a fortune now."

     I saw him ducking around my shoulder, narrowing his eyes at me in warning. I flashed him a devilishly naughty smirk. My best friend really knew me so well it was frightening. 

     "I wasn't thinking anything of the sort, hyung. Did I ever do that? My memory's fuzzy," I faked an innocent, cutesy tone that I knew was terribly awkward because I lacked any aegyo. At least, that's what I thought. I was jealous of Jihoon, Hyunseob, Jinyoung and Woojin who overflowed with it and were natural at coming up with ways to steal noona's and young girl's hearts. 

     Jisung snorted rather unattractively and slapped the middle of my back playfully. 

     "Oh, stop your nonsense, God Daniel," he said sarcastically. 

     I winced and groaned inside my head. Me and my big mouth. There were some things I really shouldn't say in his presence. He would bring it up as a joke and make me a laughing stock for weeks. He would never let me live down that moment of greedy arrogance. I was really hoping none of those comments made it on air, but I had an ominous feeling about it. Being called God Daniel would actually be quite burdensome. I really put my foot in my mouth this time. It was precisely because of incidents like this, I tried to stay quiet these days. I was more attractive like that anyway. Mysterious and cool. As soon as I opened my mouth, I become the neighborhood pabo. 

     "You're never going to stop this time, are you?" I asked with a bit of pleading in my tone.

     He wiggled his head like a bobble-head doll and flashed an evil, self-satisfied smirk. That hateful clever fox. 

     "I most certainly will not, Your Majesty of Kingdom Shmexy." 

     Oh, he could be so irritating sometimes I wanted to wring his pale neck. No worries. I would start thinking carefully of exactly how to get revenge. This was the nature of our relationship. We were affectionate but also a bit mean, like brothers close in age, despite a four year age difference. Like that time I put his fingers in water which made him pee his bed that night, or when I drew a beard and wrinkles on his face while he was napping so he looked like Gandalf, and that time--I was busy giggling to myself remembering even the thought of the previous, most ingeniously humiliating of all pranks.

     "You dufus, what's wrong with you? How can you be laughing at a time like this?"

     He smacked my back harder this time. It smarted and I was sure that it had left a red hand print. I was used to it, so I didn't get the least bit angry. I was just confused. 

     When he saw my clueless response, Jisung threw his hands up in the air in dramatic emphasis and rolled his eyes epically. I spotted the whites on three sides. That was quite an impressive talent of his. Thus the reason the nickname, Master of Expressions, other trainees gave him was well-deserved I would admit. 

     "Hello! How dense can you be, Dan?" 

     "What do you mean? What time? I just got into A rank, as did a whole bunch of other people! There were a lot of people who were moved favorably in this evaluation. It's a time to celebrate. Celebration~"

     I sang the famous celebration song and waved my arms up and down in a little jig. I grinned widely and laughed at myself since he wasn't responding properly. That was a rare ingenious comedy moment. He hit his forehead and sighed. 

     "Get dressed and I will show you what I mean, you blonde blockhead." 

     "I am pink at the moment," I retorted pointedly, sticking out my tongue. Big meanie, treating me like an idiot again. I absolutely hated when he did that.

     As ordered by the true royalty of MMO, I slipped on a matching red pair of sweatpants and hoodie. It was comfy but too hot to sleep in so I would have to remove it later in bed. I ran a towel over my hair as Jisung impatiently tugged my elbow, leading me outside the room. He pointed towards the window by the kitchen area. 

     "That's what, or who more exactly, I am talking about."

     "Seongwu? What about him?" 

     "Just look at him. He's completely different. He tries to hide it but it's obvious he's all moody, broody and depressed about something."

     I nodded my head, studying him. Ong Seongwu was sitting at the dining table, dreassed in all black, fully covered in classy Calvin Klien business casual. His long, black skinny jeaned legs were propped up on the chair next to his. His hand was resting on his clean-shaven chin and he was staring sadly out the window. It was rainy and gloomy out which only added a darker feeling to the scene. He was rarely even blinking, his thin lips and finely groomed eyebrows  curved downward. That was definitely a brooding expression. His long, pale fingers drummed an expert fast tempo beat on the table-- that, to musically trained ears, could tell you that he had experience playing the drums.

     He was attractive that way, like this bipolar suicidal deeply thoughtful writer in a movie I saw once. I was struck again by how naturally handsome and fit he was as an actor. It just wasn't fair for a person to look like that at the same time being an all-around triple threat, nation's sweetheart, and gag show worthy comedian. 

     "I noticed that earlier. He seems off. Any idea what's wrong?" I asked in concern.

     Attractive as that image was, I preferred Seongwu when he was goofing around and smiling brightly, being an awkward gangly energizer bunny. I would never have guessed he could be like that awhile ago. 

     Jisung pushed his finger into my chest. "I am 110% sure it's because of you."

     "Me, why? What did I do? I have been extra friendly to him. I didn't bully him or ignore him or anything. He just suddenly got like that. Maybe something happened in the A group yesterday or he's worried about the future. He could have gotten scolded by the judge's. It could be a ton of things not related to me whatsoever," I argued, slightly offended at the accusation.

     "I doubt it. That man is perfect and always cheerful. He was fine until last night. I saw him before he went to bed, too. He was like that ever since, well..."

     "Since when?" I pushed impatiently. I was curious about what the reason was, worried if this was because of me turning him down last night. Jisung's next words proved I was.

     "He came into our room last night. I know you didn't notice. He saw you with Woojin. He just left. He looked a bit put-off. Didn't you promise to hang out that night? Then you totally blew him off. He must have felt even worse seeing you asked help from Woojin, not him even though he's in the A group and a decent singer as you may recall. That hurt his pride as a man and a singer. You should have just practiced with him. I would have been ticked off, too."

     "Oh. That's why he was like that? I hadn't thought for a second he could be ticked off because of that. It didn't seem like a big deal. I simply wanted to do well on the evaluations and I hated to bother him when he seemed so tired. It wasn't like I didn't want to chill, honestly. I thought he was okay with it. I would have understood. I didn't think he would take it so hard, I wouldn't have thought of that as rejection or anything."

     Jisung patted my shoulder and shook his head in a condescendingly sympathetic way. It was his way of pitying me for being hopeless. When it came to anything emotional, yeah, well, I hated to admit it, but I always kind of had been. I wasn't quite at the level of a robot, but I admittedly wasn't finely tuned in to my emotions, so it was expected I would be worse at sensing, predicting or interpreting others. 

     "It's only little to you because you have the emotional range of a puppy. You just wag your tail and get friendly with anyone, bouncing all over the room. "

     Did I really do that? I had always thought of myself as more of a cat, exclusive and loyal with my affection, which took time to get. But maybe I didn't seem that way? I actually disliked dogs for that exact reason. I didn't like when people acted friendly with just anyone either. I wanted to make friends here, but maybe I was taking it too far. I had been excited to be around new people, that's all. I wasn't really considering them as close friends yet. Seongwu was the only one I had shared anything private with.

      I recalled the expressions he had been masking from me last night and today. Dammit, it was so obvious now. I had thought he was tired and worried about the competition, then I had thought that he was ignoring me because he felt threatened. Actually, this whole time he was feeling hurt because of my insensitivity. He had felt thrown away because I was all over Woojin since yesterday and I had blown him off to practice on top of that. I hated myself. That had truly been jerky of me. Even worse, it took me this long to figure it out. Sometimes I really was emotionally dense. Even if it was never intentional. I swear I was a nice guy. I wasn't a puppy! 

      I better apologize quickly. Hopefully, Seongwu didn't hold grudges long. But the cold shoulder he had been giving me wasn't promising.

     I hurried over to him, but then I was blocked by Woojin. He congratulated and thanked me again. That was the tenth time. I thought he was cute, but repetition got on my nerves. As did things blocking my goal.

     I noticed Seongwu look our way when he heard our voices. I flashed him a sheepish, shy grin, telepathically sending a message. He avoided my eyes though and looked down at his knees. Dangit, he was upset even more now, I could tell.

     Ah, but look at that, I thought ecstatically. I noticed him fighting back a grin. The left corner of his lip was shaking and slightly curving like he was biting down on his cheek. Oh good, he didn't totally hate me yet. I felt immense relief.

     I turned to the blockage between us, thinking of a way to distract his attention away from me for a few minutes so I could be alone with Seongwu. 

 

 

Ong Seongwu's POV

 

     "Daniel Hyung, congratulations! Thanks for helping me with dancing. I am sure I wouldn't have made it to A without you. I owe you one."

     Oh great, the flipping love birds are here, I grumbled in my mind. I felt my mood darken more and my thoughts grow more sinister. I glanced up, hoping I wouldn't see them touching yet again. That would really set me off. Yet, I looked anyway. Seriously, was I actually a masochist?

     I met Daniel's gaze as soon as I looked up. He had happened to be looking right at me with an odd, worried expression. He grinned widely, his eyes wrinkling up and white teeth sparkling. I avoided his eyes and looked down, forcing  myself to stop mid-grin.

    I pushed down my excitedly squealing, squirming inner fan girl. No, don't even start that nonsense again. I was not going to forgive and forget so easily because he kept flashing smiles at me whenever we met eyes today. Not allowed. Handsome yet cute jerk. How did you even humanly manage to pull off being sexy and cute at the same time? Weren't those polar opposites? Was he a demon? 

     Daniel held Woojin's shoulders, seemingly to push him to the side. I had a better view of him. I liked his cherry red trainers. Good color for him, brought out the golden tones in his skin and hair, lightened his eyes. Shittaki mushrooms, why on Earth was I looking at him again? 

     "As I said before, dude, no problem. You helped me too, so we're even. Oh, hold on a second, isn't that Seonho sneaking into the bathroom Minhyun went into?" He pointed in the direction of the nearest bathroom.

     I snickered quietly to see that it really was true. Seonho was acting sneaky, his hand on the closed bathroom door's knob. Seonho and Minhyun had become famous for their love-hate kind of relationship. Basically Minhyun was very masculine and uncomfortable with any kind of physical affection and Seonho was a skinship addict and a long-time Minhyun only Nuest fan. Amusing combo they were. Minhyun was likely to explode on Seonho if the younger wasn't stopped soon.

     "Yikes!" Woojin gasped, cutely holding his hand over his gaping mouth. "Seonho hyung, stop!" He then ran over to tackle the man who wasn't listening and just cracked the door. Minhyun was showering all alone in there since he was uncomfortable with intimacy. 

     I felt the chair move slightly. Daniel pulled it back and sat down. He rested his arm lightly on my knee and ducked his head forward, trying to make eye contact with me. I stubbornly refused. I went back to watching the raindrops race along the window pane, pretending he wasn't there. I didn't notice however, that his hair was messily parted to the right, hanging a bit over his eyes. Just like I did mine. 

    "Hey, what's eating you, big guy?" He asked gently, tapping on my knee. Then he tapped on my shoulder. Then he started tapping on my head.

     "Hey, Ong! Ong? Ong Seongwu! Seongwu-ah~ I'm going to keep bothering you until you acknowledge my existence. I have something to say to you."

     The light, irritating tapping continued. I frowned. He tapped faster, then he started tickling under my arm and side. I squirmed and pushed his arm away. He backed off but stubbornly wrapped his arm around my leg, resting his weight on it. 

     "Yah! Shouldn't you call me hyung?! I'm older than you!" I snapped at him.

     Daniel merely shrugged, his lips curving up at the left corner with a mischevious, cat-like grin. "I felt from the first time I met you that we were more like friends, not hyung and dongsaeng. You feel like the same age as me. Because you're immature."

     I was extremely tempted to make a face and stick my tongue out at him. But that would just be proving his point. Usually it bothered me that I didn't get called hyung by my juniors, but not with him really, not when he put it that way. It actually touched me a bit. I murmured grumpily and started to look away. His smile was unsettling me. He was also too close and he wouldn't stop staring at me.

     I only turned my head a few milimeters when his hand snapped out and slightly pinched my chin. He pulled me back to face him. That was quite a masculine move. My inner fan girl fainted when I saw his face. He was no longer smiling. Rather, he was wearing a sincere, apologetic expression and his eyes were emotionally wet and full of kindness rather than twinkling with mischief. Why was he choking up all of a sudden? Did he think I was being sucidal? Hey, I wasn't gone quite that emo yet, thank you very much!

     "Sorry," he murmured huskily his tone even richer than his usual one. Just that one word broke the remnants of my resolve. I couldn't stop looking at him and I got choked up myself, my eyes watering.

     "For what?" I tried to put on a casual tone like I had no idea he had done any wrong.

     "For blowing you off last night. I was just worried about the evaluation. I really wanted to hang out. Honestly. Let's chill from now on until we pass out tonight, okay? I want to make it up to you for making you feel bad. I will accept any punishment. One time deal. I was a jerk. I deserve it."

     "Whatever, I didn't care. Stop being full of yourself. I slept right away."

     His next look showed he didn't believe me completely. I waved my hand nonchalantly, feigning coolness.

     "Congratulations on getting into A, I guess. It was probably only because Woojin helped you. I guess he's a better singing teacher than me."

     "That wasn't it, Seongwu-ah. I didn't want to bother you or feel embarrassed in front of you somehow. I thought you would tease me a lot when you saw how awful my singing was. I didn't want you to see me like that. Don't misunderstand, please."

     I stared at him for a few seconds suspiciously. I couldn't tell, but he sounded like he was telling the truth. And I had never heard him sound so...desperate. I decided to believe him because I was tired of being broody.

     "Well, now we're in the same group so you can't avoid it. Stupid~"

      I wiggled my finger and flicked his forehead. He flicked mine back.

      "You're stupid. Can't believe you got jealous like a little girl. Woojin is a good singer, okay? But you're way more fun. How could you think that I'd prefer him over you?"

     "Because you're acting all touchy feely like you're best friends now. And you were acting all cold and indifferent to me."

     "No, I was just busy. You are ignoring all those times today I've been trying to get your attention. Get you to smile and talk. Get you out of this gloomy funk." He gestured pointedly to my all black ensemble. Hey, emo looking as it may be, black happened to suit me since I was tall and thin! Not that I could say my mood didn't have some affect on choosing the outfit...

     I opened my mouth to argue and left it hanging, no words immediately coming to mind. Darn, he had a point again. I knew that but I was being stubborn.

    "I didn't notice," I huffed defensively, snapping my trap closed. 

     "Sure you did, almost every time," he insisted knowingly, a teasing glint back in his eyes. I couldn't seem to get him to believe any lies now. Was I that bad at acting? My company sure didn't think so. I must have some tick that was tipping him off. 

     Our banter had made my lips twinge. Eventually, I couldn't help but give in. The corners of my mouth went up slightly as we spoke. His eyes flickered to it and he gave me a big encouraging smile. I grinned wider. Then for no reason we were both laughing, and it lasted for a full minute. His hand started up my leg and naturally caught my own. His hands were soft, thin and slightly longer fingered than mine. It was the first time he held my hand. Now I knew the warmth, assurance and affection others felt.

    "You're my bro, man. I am not angry or anything. Come here, give me some love."

     He stood up in front of me, holding his arms out wide, asking for a hug. His expression was so warm and defenseless. Considering how childish I had been, I wouldn't blame him for not wanting to be friends with me. I grudgingly accepted, ducking down to wrap my arms around him. He was quite thick compared to me and my hands only covered half of his massive shoulders. His arms thumped against my back, pulling me tighter. He didn't seem to feel as awkwardly shy about this as me. It felt good, he was a snuggly terrific hugger. Unfortunately, I knew that I was too boney and gangly to be.

     My eyes widened as he next pressed his hand to the back of my neck and lowered his chin to my shoulder. I could somehow tell his smile had widened. It was warm, so extremely comfortingly warm. I closed my eyes and basked in the feeling. He held me so naturally, like he did this kind of thing all the time. He probably did--Jisung, Woojin, who knew who else he was close to from B group.

     Wow, I realized this week that Daniel was such a skinship whore. But it was a guilty pleasure for me; I loved that kind of thing. I had always been a sucker for physical affection. Ha, take that and suck on it, stupid Woojin. He's gotten farther with me--probably. I was on the path to being his second closest friend next to Jisung. I was feeling like a million bucks now.

     As for my inner fan girl, she was throwing a siesta in my mind. I had given up on putting a lid on her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What I loved about writing this chapter was Jisung X Daniel(NielSung). Their relationship is really adorable. Some people ship them as a couple and I can kind of understand. But I have always felt like the were best friends close enough to be family. They both take care of and support each other so much. Daniel is so sweet to the crybaby, and Jisung is good at cheering on, pushing him to be more open, and mothering Daniel. I imagine these interactions are very close to what happens in their daily lives. Did you catch the hint about Daniel's sleeping patterns there, and his secret nervous habits? If you have watched the show, you can guess probably what I am talking about there. It will be revealed in future episodes. Leave a comment and let me know what you think so far! Is it accurate enough for you? What infamous moments do you want to see from the show, I will put as many as possible! I will have a special Minhyun X Seonho chapter out later, just wait for that and I will put up their adorable pictures/videos. Very funny relationship. Next chapter will include lots of OngNiel moments, some Samuel X Sungwoo with Daniel's first experience with jealousy, and the infamous innisfree mask celebration (I don't recall exactly where it happened so I am going to just fit it here because it makes sense, them taking out their stress after their first test is done).
> 
> Enjoy these sweet, funny best buddies. They have been close for nearly 3 years. And they get to debut together still, how awesome is that? I love how Daniel is one of the first to give crybaby Jisung a hug and he holds him for a long time. I also love how they seem like they can spend hours just chatting and goofing off with each other. That's how best friends should be.


	4. Lovey Dovey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seongwoo and Daniel have a fun night hanging out and end up sleeping in the same bed. Daniel feels uncomfortable with Seongwoo and Samuel's relationship.

Chapter 4: Lovey Dovey

Setting: Produce 101 dorms

Month: March

 

Ong Seongwu's POV

 

     Daniel and I both sat in comfortable silence in the dining room after making up. We were watching the rain falling outside the window as the sun set, creating a pink-orange hue in the sky. I didn't feel any desire to leave and I think if I did, my inner fan girl would throw a fit. Because we were both enjoying this moment. I wished I could freeze it in fact. Having his full attention, not needing to share for once. Sitting next to him. Having our hands clasped lightly on the table, playfully pushing our thumbs around in a lazy match of thumb wrestling. I was loving all of it. Truly wonderfully amazingly stupendously fantastically loving it. 

     Eventually, I was the first to speak. "It's a bit boring now, right? I hate rainy days."     

     "Me too," Daniel replied, bouncing his head a few times and pursing his lips in a minuscule, natural pout.

     My stomach did a little flip. My inner fan girl swooned. That pout was exceptionally cute. Who ever said he sucked at aegyo? Why did he think that? I should throttle that person that destroyed Daniel's confidence and ridded the world of another of his many talents. He was naturally adorable, he just had no clue about it. That was probably better if he didn't know it. Then he would get more arrogant, kind of like--well, kind of like me. Oh, and Hyunseub, Seonho, Jinyoung and Jihoon.

     "I always played games with my family on days like this. My sister always wins."

     "Sounds like you're bad," Daniel teased. "I'm pretty awful actually, too. My luck is freaking terrible. Wanna try me?"

     Do I wanna try you, do I wanna freaking try you you dare ask that boy, oh you have no idea how much I wanna try every bit of you, my inner fan girl repeatedly squealed in my mind, laughing maliciously and licking her lips. Do not think of Daniel as a piece of meat, he is a nice, sweet guy, a smiling angel, a person who laughs at everything, not a pervert, and he didn't mean it that way, I scolded myself inwardly. Had I always been such a secret pervert?

     "Sure. Let's see who's the ultimate loser."

     After that, we played every childish game that didn't require a specific board or phones we could think of: tangsuyuk, 3-6-9, ultimate rock scissors paper, multipiclation memorization, find the quarter in the cups, knock the other person down by hitting their hands, and various others. We played until the rain stopped and it was dark outside, listening to music on daniel's tablet(I learned we both knew a lot of English songs and modern Korean songs, we also sang and danced silly a lot). I had actually won most of the time, making Daniel the ultimate loser. But he thought it was hilarious. Every time he would lose, he would bust out laughing despite the comforting touches and hugs I gave him. He told me that he had accepted his terrible luck a long time ago, and that at least he would never be tempted to go to Las Vegas or Macao where there were a ton of legal casinos and lose his future fortunes.

     We later ate Chinese delivery with the other guys and took showers. I joined Samuel as I had the previous night. Daniel went with Jisung again. Thank god it wasn't Woojin. Woojin hadn't been around him for awhile now. Not since Daniel sent him after Seonho(to literally protect his life, seriously that guy had a death wish). That's right, Daniel only needs me, I make him laugh the most anyway, I thought smugly, doing a sexy little jig.

     I thought it would be awkward showering with another guy, especially one I barely new. Yeah, we were a bit close having been in a group and now sharing a room. But not comfortable enough to bare my innocent untouched body.

     I got undressed down to my boxers, hiding in the corner, avoiding the mirrors. Samuel had already undressed and was in the shower, adjusting the temperature of the water. I crossed my arms over my chest, making sure to hide my nipples, and hoped nothing was sticking out or poking through my boxers. Ugh, this was going to be so humiliating and stressful. 

     "Yah! You wanna die, huh? Yah, Muel!" I shrieked as I got splashed all over my legs with rather chilly water. 

     He flashed a tooth grin and laughed evilly. Then, he made the water cold and shot my chest and face, soaking me all over. I wasn't self-conscious after that. All I cared was getting revenge on the scrawny pale sixteen year old ball of mischief. He really needed to eat some more, his ribs were showing, I noticed in slight brotherly concern. Maybe I would give him some of my rice next meal. 

     After that, me, Samuel and some other guys in my room were in a really great mood. We felt refreshed and energized after showers and a meal, plus we didn't have to wake up as early tomorrow and a lot of our stress was gone from the ranking tests. Soon we would film a video and then get the news about our new mission. Then the stress would be roaring its ugly head, but until then we could enjoy some peace and finally relax.

     Somehow we ended up playing around with colored innisfree mask pack creams we found in boxes in our rooms. There were tubs of all kinds of pale colors made of clay that did various amazing things to give all skin types a healthy look--blue, green, purple, yellow, black, white, pink, reddish brown. We used them all, painting various shapes, patterns, and words over our entire faces. Other people passed by and came to join in and soon half the other people were in our room and the kitchen, getting paint makeovers from those who had skills, ideas, and were willing to meticulously dab and design with their fingertips. It seemed like a bothersome, messy feat, but I didn't know because I had merely been observing.

     I went over to Daniel's room to pull him into the fun as well since I didn't see him around. I saw him putting on a black t-shirt from behind. I saw a bit of the middle of his bare back--he was quite tan there as well. Then I snuck up on him as he started blow drying his hair. "Whatareyoudoing?!"

     "Fuck!" He shouted, jumping up high and waving the dryer like a weapon in automatic defense of the phantom attacker he expected to find as he turned around. Ha, Jisung hadn't been lying about him being easily scared.

      "Oh, thank god it's only you. Don't do that, ever again," he sighed in relief, his husky, charming Busan accent coming out suddenly. He calmed down, putting his hand over his likely racing heart. I laughed and teasingly elbowed his arm.

     "Scaredy cat."

     He elbowed me back and grinned crookedly. "I'll get you for that. Unlike you, I hold grudges for a long time. Ask Jisung about the trauma I have given him from my revenge pranks." 

     I smiled and winked. "Can't wait for it. I am not so easily surprised though." 

     "Oh, I have my ways, don't worry about that. I am quite a sneak." I shrugged, displaying with my excellent expression control that I doubted that he could do any espionage work with that big body shape of his. 

     "So, what else do you want to do? I promised you a whole night."

     Well, that certainly sounded inciting. I think he intended that innuendo actually. I was starting to think he was aware of exactly what suggestive things he was saying. What an adorable tease. My inner fan girl went nuts. 

    "Hmm, I know what I want to do with you first. Come with me."

     I grabbed his wrist and pulled him out of the room, ignoring his half wet hair he hadn't been able to finish drying. I figured he would hate putting on masks or creams or makeup on. So, I was giggling while excitedly thinking about his reaction. He was laughing at me like he usually did, with a curious, exasperated look as he followed me obediently. Daniel always seemed to think I was even funnier than I was, he laughed harder than anyone at the silly things I did. I liked that, no I really extremely totally completely super liked that, about him. 

     "No way!" He stopped on his heels, yanking me to a stop as soon as he saw the chaos in the kitchen area.

     People were half covered in colored goo and now unwilling victims were being ganged up on and attacked. Soon the whole dorm would be full of painted rainbow hooligans, their totally handsome selves unrecognizable. Now that people were   covered, I had almost no clue who any of the trainees were. 

     "I guess you're going to have another thing to get back at me for."

     I grinned devilishly and grabbed his shoulders, pushing him towards the floor. He resisted and tried to break free, so he could run into the bathroom and lock himself in. We wrestled for a while. He was stronger than me, but I had longer limbs and I was quicker because of my lithe body. He had me pinned but then he made the mistake of getting up to run away for safety, letting his guard down.

     I kicked under his knee which made him fall on his back. Then, I jumped onto his legs, sitting down and putting all my weight into pinning him. I held his arms to the floor as he wriggled all he could. It was quite thrilling having a manly strength match. I looked around for someone I could trust to help me. 

    Daniel caught on to my plan right away. "Don't you dare, Seongwu!"

    "Ha Sungwoon. Give me some quickly!" I shouted at a plassing blonde with all kinds of colors on his face, white circles, around his eyes, and even numbers.

     Sungwoon, Gwanlin, and Kenta helped me put blue, green and pink designs over his face. The highlight was a round pink dot on his nose and whiskers. Daniel switched between glaring at us, laughing and trying to shake his way free. I let him go when it was all done.

     Next thing I knew, he was laughing maniacally and tackled me, laying on my chest to keep me from escaping. I didn't resist much. I had been refusing to be painted because I was secretly waiting for him to do it. Daniel got a hold of a purple tube left on the floor. He squirted it in his hands and smeared it all over my face. I closed my eyes since it was even coming close to there. Eventually, I stopped struggling and just gave in. I relaxed my body, still pinning him to the floor sitting on his thighs. He turned more gentle, applying the cream evenly all over my face. He was cracking up, his whole body shaking and struggling to breath between his amused fits. I had never seen him laugh this hard before, and he was laughing pretty much all the time at the most mundane, ridiculous tgings(he was a laughing virus, perfect for me who was interested in being a comedian). We were having the time of our lives. 

     So many funny things happened with the trainees after that I barely remembered. We were playing around with the cameras in the house, sure this would be broadcasted, so it was a good chance for us to show our cute and playful boyish sides, since too much of the show would be serious and rather nerve-racking.

     Me and Daniel usually stuck together but sometimes we got separated by our different friends or people calling us over to chat about something or paint someone else. Samuel caused one of those moments. I noticed that he was trying to add a mustache to his face markings but he was struggling to open the tube and apply because his fingers and arms were covered in goo he was trying clearly not to get any on his clothes. I sat down on a nearby bunk and called him over.

    "Here, Muel, I'll do it. You're making a mess. Come here, bud." 

     I spread my legs and patted my knee, pretending I was a Mall Santa on the week of Christmas.

      "Ho, ho, ho! What do you want this year for Christmas, little boy?" I said in a deep yet jolly man voice. 

      Samuel sat on my knee and leaned against my chest. Since he was sixteen, he was still extremely short and lanky. He wasnt heavy at all.

     "Santa, this year I want a pony, a race car, a robot, an iron man suit..." He mimicked a child's cute airy voice, tapping on my chest. 

      "Sorry, Santa's on a tight budget this year. How about some magical facial cream to make you all shiny and pretty?" 

     "Okay!" His big pout turned into a cheesy grin.

      I took blue cream and dabbed it on my finger. I placed my hand over his jaw to steady him as I painted the thin line and perfect curls of a mustache. He studied my face silently from a few inches away but I barely paid attention to that. He was probably amazed at how much purple goo I had all over. Daniel had turned me into a grape.

      When I finished, Samuel gave me a half hug in thanks and then dashed off. Daniel was leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed, studying me. It seemed like he was irritated. 

      "You alright?"

      "Oh, yeah. Just itching all over from this stuff. We've had it on a lot longer than the recommended ten minutes." he put on his usual big, eye squishing, pearly white smile.

      "Oh, yeah, I guess you're right. I feel a bit scratchy too, now you mention it."

      The trainees were crowding every sink available now to wash it out of their hands, face, and hair. Gwanlin had gotten it into his nose and Hyunseob into his ears. I helped them along with Kenta and Hyunbin get it out with q tips. When we had it all washed off, we complimented each other and patted the others skin to feel the difference. It felt more elastic and silky smooth. 

      "Let's go to your room," Daniel suggested, grabbing my wrist to get my attention. I thought maybe he would slip down and hold my hand like earlier today in the dining area but he didn't. Unfortunately. My inner fan girl stomped her foot and huffed in disappointment.

      I went up to his bed and he climbed up with a bag. He opened it to reveal an assortment of candy, cookies and chips, including his favorite Haribo gummies. It was his secret stash he had brought, he had told me about it one time. Jisung wasn't allowed to know about it or he would confiscate everything because it would cause Daniel to gain weight. Since he had a habit of snacking a lot at night. He told me he hid it with his underwear deep in his bag where Jisung would never bother to search. Hence, why he wanted to hang out in my room.

     "You're hungry, right?" He pushed the bag into my lap. Then he took out the haribo and tore the bag open with his teeth. He was such a stereotypically Busan sangnamja(strong masculine man). I was surprised he was giving his last bag. I knew just how hard it was to part with your favorite foods, never knowing when you were going to get it again. Respect. 

     Ah, earlier he must have seen me wandering the halls earlier. All my snacks were gone so I had raided the cupboards and fridge unsuccessfully. I had been acting like a starving kid, going around saying, "I'm hungry." Which I heard was rather creepy because I looked like a purple zombie ghost monster at the time. 

     "Eat up. Eat it all. Don't mind me. I am going to sleep here if that's ok with you."

      "Huh?" I nearly spit out a fistful of gummy bears. He wanted to sleep in this tiny bed together? Side by side? All night? Woah, that was really quick progress in our friendship. My inner fan girl was doing a tap dance and shouting with glee. 

     His smile was sheepishly embarrassed. He scratched under his eyebrow as he looked down. "Well, it's just, honestly, I was freaked out by that ghost prank they pulled on us when were doing that solo interview in front of the mirror. I feel like I am going to have a nightmare. I usually do after a horror movie or I bump into something scary. Sleeping next to someone comforts me."

     In the morning before our new evaluation results were revealed, we all had had a special interview. They put us in this dark room in front of a single mirror with some super dim lighting. It was a really odd set up actually when you looked back on it. In the middle of our talking to ourselves seriously a person dressed as a ghost and painted black and white was suddenly revealed inside the mirror. I heard some horror stories. Daehwi screamed like a girl. Hyunseob ran away and threw the chair. Dongbin cried a ton, as usual. Someone hit the mirror and nearly broke it. Some people were scared just to the point of tears, falling off their chairs and running to the edge of the room. Only Dongho didn't appear to be frightened. For me, well, I would rather not reveal my reaction because I knew I would be ridiculed when it came out. It was not so attractive and would likely scar my image. I hadn't heard about Daniel's reaction. It must have been bad if he didn't immediately feel like talking about it. 

     "I thought you wouldn't mind. I can go sleep with Jisung or Woojin then."

     Woojin? No way in hell was I letting that happen. That pipsqueak wouldn't be allowed to take another opportunity from me and I didn't want their relationship, I mean friendship, progressing further than ours. I pushed him gently back so he was lying on the wall side again.

     "Never said I actually minded. My bed, your bed. It's cute that you're a big clingy baby. What are you, four?"

     Daniel looked away, his face reddening. He scratched under his left eyebrow again. That's when I realized it was an embarrassed tick. I felt proud to have discovered something new about him. I was learning a lot today.

     "If you want to tease me, I will just go," he said grumpily, crossing his arms and sticking his full lips out in a pouty manner. Was he upset? He looked and sounded like a ticked child. Ridiculously adorable, that reaction should be illegal. 

     "I won't, I promise. Don't pout," I bit back my laughter and rubbed his arm, laying on my side. I perched up on my arm so I could look down on him. 

      He turned to me, eyes narrowed, judging if I was trustworthy. "Honest. All teasing gone for now. Only Serious Ong is here."

     "Well, you don't have to be all serious, you know. I like Pabo Ong, too."

     "Okay, then you can have a bit of both. No need to choose. But why does your body have to be so dang big , Niel? It's hard to fit both of us," I complained, bumping against him.

     Daniel giggled, showing a guilty grin. "Maybe because I'm destined to do big things? Or maybe God intended this moment just to make you feel uncomfortable?"

     Well, I admit that I felt uncomfortable but for a different reason than he was probably thinking of. The bed was a single and Daniel took up over half of it, filling it all the way from top to bottom with his large frame and his shoulder and arm were crossing beyond the halfway point. I had to lie down on my side or three-quarters. I couldn't lay down on my back totally without being squished betwen his arm and the hard wooden rail.

     "Sorry I'm taking up your bed. Scoot closer." Daniel moved a bit on his side, propping his back partially on the wall, lifting his arm behind his head. Then he tugged me closer to him. I was able to lay on my back successfully but I was touching his side completely from my shoulder to my knees. We shared a single pillow, our heads an inch apart so as not to fall off the little thing.

     Through the rest of the night, we laid in his bed discussing various things, some random and silly and some more serious. For some reason, I always felt calm and thoughtful at night. I didn't feel like joking around us much as I used to. Daniel looked back and forth from me and the cieling, a frown line wrinkling his forehead as he listened to me carefully, our arms casually linked. He would often nod his head and pause for awhile before he responded with his own ideas, opinions and stories.

     It was a very different experience than the  time we had chilled on Daniel's bed. We spent time digging even deeper into the other, discussing a range of much more complicated, sensitive, and personal topics. Until it was time to sleep. That's when I got the biggest shock I had ever experienced in my whole life. I learned that Daniel sleeps without his shirt on. I had never turned so red. Jeez, those abs were a dream I had never imagined existed on a Korean guy. I felt like i could never go shirtless in front of him or I would suffer brutal humilation.

     It was difficult to sleep that night. But I learned something else adorable about him--he sleep talks and grinds his teeth. He gets quite noisy actually. But I was satisfied to hear my name around a series of nonsensical gibberish.

 

Kang Daniel's POV

 

      With how crazy things had been since we started learning the Na Ya Na(Pick Me) song, I had temporarily forgotten just how great and easy it was talking with Seongwu. He was usually cheerful, teasing, silly and playful, but he had a different look when we were discussing something serious.

     At first, it was odd for me seeing his serious expression and hearing him say deep, insightful, and wise things. It just didn't match the preconcieved image I had of him. Then, I grew comfortable with it once I decided I liked it. It gave him more dimensions, it made him seem more human. There was no person in the world that was forever cheerful, myself and even Jisung included. We were all susceptible to moments of concern, contemplation, and even depression.

     We talked about our experience as trainees and how hard it had been and still was for our family members to support us. We both gave up on college and we had no prospective other jobs. If it wasn't an entertaining career for us, then we might as well cease living. We both had nothing else we were good at and nothing else that was interesting to me. Dancing had been our biggest crutch. We had been dancing forever. It was part of us, whenever therevwas music we had to at least shake our hips and do little cool motions with our hands. We could both understand the fear of someday our bodies failing us or getting into some accident that took our legs from us. I promised if he ended up like that, I would do whatever it took to find him a new reason for living. He said the same for me. He still had his acting. I still had...well, my cats? Maybe I could do something with that, who knows. I pictured myself a bachelor at 50 years old with no one in my home but thirty cats.

     Before I slept, his earlier reaction when I took off my shirt from under the blanket and tossed it to the foot of the bed came to mind. He had actually blushed and couldn't look away from my bare chest. I hadn't taken off my pants at least because I was being courteous to him. I hadn't thought he'd be bothered by a bit of upper body skin. Obviously, he had been though, because he fell asleep on top of the blankets, never bothering to come under them with me. Was he not accustomed to being around naked men? But hadn't he showered with Samuel earlier? Was it because Samuel was young and not nearly as tanned and toned as I was? Could it be that...Seongwu was like that?

     I thought that it might disgust me as it used to in middle school, but I was relieved to find I had matured a lot since then. I didn't mind it at all. In fact, I didn't want to know even. I was curious when that happened but I had refused to ask. I was concerned that I would become prejudiced against him somehow and judge his character more. I didn't want to judge Seongwu. I wanted to learn about him naturally and just accept all parts of him, whether it was something I personally liked and agreed with or not. I hated judgmental, stereotyping kind of people. I liked Sungwoo for who he was, all personal preferences aside.

     Even if he liked me like that by chance, I wouldn't let it bother me. Hell, I would be flattered. He was clearly much more attractive, charming and talented than me. I felt honored that kind of man wanted some boring blockhead like me to be his best friend.

     As I was going down that train of thought I started thinking about Seongwu 's relationship with Samuel. They seemed very close, though I hadn't noticed it until I joined the A group. They were affectionate and physical. They helped each other with choreography, discussed dancing, and often had their own dance break sessions. I supposed they matched well since they had similar dancing styles music tastes and they also liked making choreography. I did too but I hadn't had the chance to talk to Samuel much. He moved into Seongwu's room after someone left the show and I had just gotten into the A group.

     It made sense they were close but I still didn't like it. I had felt furious and irritated when I saw Samuel in Seongwu's lap, his big deery eyes staring almost lovingly at clueless Seongwu while he was selflessly helping the kid out. Didn't he care if Samuel took advantage of him like that? I felt bad for thinking negatively of Samuel. It was rude to assume Samuel was gay and earlier had been making an opportunity to attack Seongwu's virgin lips.  Maybe it was just because I didn't know the young kid well yet.

     I didn't like it somehow still. A part of me was feeling possessive I wasn't usually like that. I didn't usually care how many other friends my friends had or worry that they were closer than we were. Now, I felt like Seongwu was my friend and mine only, and I worried if he had become closer to Samuel than me. It's possible since I had stupidly ignored him and distanced myself, albeit unintentionally, for two days. There could be still some part of him that was upset at me and found it difficult to fully forgive and trust me now.

     I had a dream where there were two of me. The other me was beating me up for that mistake and was trying to take Seongwu's affection all for himself. I woke up with a start. I sat up, finding that I luckily hadn't woken Seongwu up. He was lying on his side, hand pillowed under his arm. Even though the lights were off, the moonlight streaming in through the window and various electronic appliances kept the room fairly visible. I  propped myself up on the pillow, gazing at his sleeping face. He looked like a kitten to me somehow, the way his thin, long lips curved up at the corners in a permanent grin, his long eye lashes, thin sculpted face, that slightly pointed perfectly shaped nose.

     I wondered if I had surgery to get that good-looking. I touched his skin curiously with my finger tips, searching for any sign of it. His skin was silky smooth, plush and flawless. I thumbed along his protruding cheek bone, envious of them. I wished I could have a handsome face like his. Then, even if my singing career didn't go well and even if I had to give up dancing for whatever reason, at least I could do acting or modeling. He didn't have to worry about his future as much as I did. With my luck, he was probably even smarter than me, so if he needed to he could go back to college and get a more official job.

     Suddenly, Seongwu mumbled, grimaced and moved his head. I took my hand away right away and froze, worried I had woken him up and was going to get caught doing something extremely weird. I quickly closed my eyes and feigned sleep. Then, I felt Seongwu grumble some more and sidle up to me. His head was on my arm now and he was pressing his nose into my chest, just under my collar bone. His arm went around my waist and squeezed. His legs tangled around mine.

     "Umma...." he muttered sleepily, cuddling close with me.

     Oh, he must be missing his mother, I thought sympathetically. He could be so cute and sweet sometimes. I folded my arm around his shoulders and laid my head against the top of his.

     "Hmm, mommy's here, Sungwoo. Sleep tight, sweet dreams," I murmured into his thick, soft dark brown locks. Then I closed my eyes, drifting off while feeling incredibly peaceful and warm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you so much for reading, subscribing and commenting! If there is anything you want to tell me, please do so freely below. Like I said before, I want this to seem as realistic as possible. If you find something inaccurate about the facts, moments, or personalities presented in this fic, please let me know! Well, most are probably intentional changes I made, but I really want to fix it if it is something I am misunderstanding or there is something that's actually out in public. Like, apparently Seongwu does have an older sister! So younger sister will be changed to older sister now. Please feel free to comment about anything.
> 
> This has nothing much to do with the show, but I think some of you would like to know. I really love Samuel and I've been supporting him for a long time now. I was so so so disappointed when he wasn't in the group and I think Korean fans are kind of crazy for being all wishy washy about voting for him. He jumped around so much at the end and didn't have a scandal or issue or anything so it didn't make any sense. I cried so much for him. I was so happy for Minhyun , Seongwu, Daehwi, Daniel and Guanlin but I was bitter about some people who didn't get in I was really rooting for, mainly Samuel and Jonghyun. It made the final results kind of bittersweet. But I am getting over it, accepting Wanna One as they are now.
> 
> Anyway, it's not like I dislike or disprove of any members, they are all attractive sweet humble mostly and fairly talented to deserve their place I believe. I thought I was okay with Samuel because he could debut anyway, and even earlier than Wanna One. Then I read on the news yesterday that he locked himself in his bathroom at home turned on the water and cried really hard after the last episode. This dear boy held it in so well at the time and barely cried on tv so I was worried. I felt like I really wanted him to cry his feelings all out and at least get comforted. But he held it in for his family and friends like such a mature adult which I didn't really expect for him because of his age. Even though he was so desperate about debuting with the others and he fought so hard for months, he hid his disappointment and burdened all the pain by himself, trying to show everyone a strong, masculine, mature, confident image like he was okay and this wasn't going to beat him down. But dangit he's been through a lot in the last five years and the baby is only sixteen! He barely has a life outside of practice and the thought that people cannot supporrt him in Korea properly like international fans too breaks my heart. Who cares if he is not fully Korean don't be racist and vote for only Guanlin because you think only one foreigner can join the group. Jeez. Que rant over.
> 
> Anyway Samuel is amazingly talented and sweet. His new album's music is great(addicted to I got it, Sixteen, and With You just like I figured I would when I heard the previews a month ago), just on the lines of r and b, hip hop, and pop. Please check it out and support him. Let's give him tons of likes and raise his music up on all charts. I wish he knew how much the rest of the world loves him even if his own country has kind of betrayed him(fans really played with his heart there, putting his rank so drastically up and down). Here's his new music video, album, and some of his adorableness and incredible dancing. Seriously, of all the people on Produce 101 show, I don't get how he could not be on your list of top 11. He's only a teenager and look at his skills and masculine youthful charms! He's a heart stealer truly. Youngest man I ever crushed on(I am 10 years older than he is jeez that's just kind of painful, I usually not attracted to any idol under 20). 


	5. Battle for Center(It's mine!)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> P101 Group A competes for who will be the center of Na Ya Na in their first TV performance. Ongniel get closer as they compete and experience some trials and work on supporting each other while suspicion/jealousy related towards their relationships with Woojin and Samuel increase as well.

Chapter 5: Battle for Center

Setting: Produce 101 Dorms, CJ E&M 

Month: March/April

 

Kang Daniel's POV

 

     We were woken up by a broadcast of Na Ya Na(Pick Me) in the early morning. At first, the trainees just grumbled around, tossing in their beds, pulling the blankets over their heads and pressing their hands over their ears to block out the alarming, ringing sound. It was playing quite loud.

     I sang it with my eyes closed while Seongwu hopped down from the top bunk and started dancing along. He wasn't the only one. There were some others in our room doing the same thing and I could hear the sounds of others singing along in the rooms next to us. After the song was done, people started getting ready. But I just rolled over  on my side and snuggled into the warmth, pulling the blanket tighter over my body. I stretched my legs straight out and then bent them at the knees with my feet stuck together like a frog. Fuck, they were sore from practicing way too much.

     Seongwu reached over and shook me a few times with his arms, apparently done dancing. I had every intention of ignoring him. I needed just a few more minutes before I was ready to move around and face the stress of my life. We had an excruciatingly long day of practice and recording coming up and I wasn't the least bit looking forward to it currently.

    "Wake up, sleepy head!" he laughed, tickling me over the blanket. I wiggled when he tickled my side but otherwise didn't respond or budge.

    "Yah, wake up already, God Daniel! Everyone else is up!"

    I groaned when I heard Jisung's annoying voice. He had come to force me to get up as he had on the other mornings. I was used to sleeping in late and even then I had a hard time getting up. It was pretty much impossible to wake up at dawn before the sun was even out. I felt like I was back in school, which I certainly had hated exactly for this reason.

    "Hyungs, please please please give me just five more minutes~" I pleaded sleepily, burying myself stubbornly further in Sungwoo's blanket, refusing to roll over and face them.

"Oh, so now I am hyung. So very polite of you Daniel-ssi," Seongwu said with sarcastic amusement.

    "If you don't get up in three seconds, Kang Daniel, I am going to sacrifice your bear doll. And it's going to be bloody, well cottony actually but whatever. I have scissors and the bear in my hand. I'm not joking. You choose wether to believe me this time or not. 3, 2....wo.."

    "Don't!" I jumped up immediately, my eyes still closed. "I'm up. I swear I'm up."

     I reached my hand out for the stuffed animal that I was most sure was actually in his hand, shaking with fear from the scissors poised over his ear. "Give it to me."

      I felt the familar fuzzy, soft cloth in my hand and grabbed it, safely ensaring my precious doll in my arms. "Sorry, baby. Did that mean ugly guy frighten you? I should have brought you with me last night. Sorry for leaving you all alone," I cooed apologetically.

 

    My mother got me that bear a few years ago and I had grown quite attached to it. It was like my replacement girlfriend. I liked cuddling with it. Whenever I was in bed or lounging around lazily. That is, if I didn't actually have someone sleeping next to me and cuddling. I was a cuddle bug, addicted actually. Hopefully, Seongwu hadn't noticed last night. But if he did notice, I hoped he didn't mind. I didn't think so. He usually was just as physically affectionate as me, and he was the one who had innitiated the wonderful snuggling feast last night.

    Through half-shut eyes, I saw Jisung and Seongwu standing by the bed, sharing looks. Seongwu raised his eyebrow curiously, gesturing to the doll. Jisung threw up his hands and rolled his eyes. Like he was saying 'I don't know what planet this loser is from, seriously, being obsessed with a doll at 22 years old.'

   "Yeah, I know I'm wierd sometimes. Just throw me in a psych ward after I've been an idol a few years. That's a good enough life for me. But you have to bring my cats from Busan," I grumbled, my voice deep and raspier than normal from days of lack of sleep.

    Jisung and Seongwu went to go get ready. I could barely open my eyes and it was still impossible to move from my spot on the bed. I yawned and pat down my crazy bed hair sticking up everywhere I was sure, watching Seongwu pull black shorts and a t-shirt out of his suitcase and put them on. Why did he always wear either black or white, I wondered. Maybe it was a model/actor kind of thing. Maybe Fantagio made it into a requirement. 

     He looked up at me afterwords, smiling wide and giggling. Why did he look so amused? Oh, right, probably me. I looked hideous. Dam.n.

    "Nice hair there, stud. Let's go get washed up. I will spray your hair and fix it for you."

    "Just one more minute," I insisted, shaking my head and yawning hugely.

    "I know just the thing that will wake you up."

    Seongwu then played a song on his tablet. It was Twice's Signal. He remembered I liked this song. I danced and sang along to the chorus. He crossed his arms over the bunk railing, watching me with amusement.

"Sending a signal, sending a singal, zip zap zip zap," I sang sleepily, lazily moving my fingers to make bouncing antennas. I ended with the four step heart aegyo dance.

     Jisung came back to check on Daniel. He caught the end of the dance, patted me on the back as he motheringly watched the pink haired man dancing and smiled in approval. "Dancing is a really efficient way to wake him up. A few more and he should be ready to come down. Better than mine I guess, not as psychologically damaging.

 

     Ong Seongwu's POV

 

     I played a couple more songs on my tablet, some of my favorite pop songs Closer and Celebrate included. Jisung and I started dancing and singing along too, encouraging the sleepyhead any way we could, hoping this would eventually get the grump out of bed. Others were bobbing their heads or wiggling their hips and then eventually the whole room turned into a dance party.

     I got really into the singing, doing exageratted expressions and pretending to have a mic, throwing in some pop jerks here and there. "Celebrate good times, come on!" Daniel really loved that song too and he keeled over, holding his stomach in laughter, his face going red from lack of oxygen.

     We stopped the DJ session now that Daniel was fully awake(he could actually open his eyes and he appeared a lot more alert). I had a great idea as I looked up at the cute man, who almost looked like he was in a veranda of a western mansion.

    "Romeo, oh romeo, where are you my Romeo?" I spoke in a dramatically whispy, desperate English, my hand reaching out for him like I could never reach the veranda to get to him.

     He laughed again, looking down at me. "Isn't it supposed to be Juliet?"

     Jisung joined me, leaning on my shoulder and stretching out his hand as well. "Juliet, oh Juliet, my love, come down to me!" We said together in English, putting more feeling into it.  "I'm Romeong." "And I'm Romesung."

     Daniel swiped back his imaginary blond locks. "Hello there, boys, I'm Daliet. I will be right down~" he said in a coy, girly tone, also in English, smirking with flirty confidence.

     "Let's go, my dearest."

     I don't know why but we were oddly still speaking English. It seemed that we both enjoyed it sometimes. It had a different feeling than Korean and sometimes we felt proud because we had rather high proficiency. I grabbed his hand and pulled him off the bed. On his way down, he took his shirt from the foot of the bed. I helped him get down and put the shirt over his head and ridiculously wide shoulders. His skin was silky to the touch and hot since he'd just gotten out from under the blankets. My inner fan girl started steaming like she had just ate a chili pepper.

    "Thanks. I feel really out of it today," Daniel said, switching back into Korean. He was smiling sheepishly and scratching below his eyebrow in the usual embarassed fashion.

    "No big deal. We keep sleeping late. Sorry to always keep you up. You don't have to listen to my ramblings all night, especially if you're this tired. I understand if you need more sleep. Just tell me to shut up."

    "I couldn't do that. I like hearing you ramble."

    "What was I even talking about when I went to sleep?"

    "Hmm, you were talking about your mom, I think."

    "My mom? I don't remember that."

     I tilted my head, frowning. I couldn't recall anything about that. Though I think I did dream about hugging her. I wondered what she was doing. I wished I could call her, but we hadn't been allowed a phone call. This was the longest I had ever gone without talking or seeing her. I missed her quite a lot. Although, we were luckily too busy to think about our friends and family and how we were being basically imprisoned between the studio and our dorms. I wasn't sure if they would ever let us out. There had been no mention of any special breaks or solo outings allowed.

     "Well, I sure do."

     Daniel sounded odd and he was giving me this secretive, knowing, adoring kind of look. What kind of humilating things had I said? Did he know I was a mommy's boy now? I started to regret again that I let him sleep in my room.

      I gave Daniel one of my bathroom hair bands for face washing. Mine was green, his pink. We put it on over our foreheads, pushing our hair straight up. It was the first time I had seen Daniel's forehead. It was bigger than mine and had some acne spots from always laying his greased hair on the same area and sweating often during practice. I usually washed my face with cleanser several times a day and kept my hair off my face with hats or styling as much as I could. Which was why I had perfect skin. Daniel's wasn't so bad either but an expert could see scars from previous rather serious trouble issues that could only be removed with laser surgery. 

     We  squeezed into the bathroom by the sink area. Some other trainees were there washing up and brushing their teeth. We first washed several times with water. Then we took turns putting cleanser on each others face, of course we weren't serious during it all. I ended up with the cleanser on my neck, inside my mouth, even down my pants(don't ask because that was a very freaky yet stimulating moment).

      After that, I drug him back to the room to fix his hair. I actually liked styling hair. It was my hobby. I did mine, my sister's, and sometimes my high-school friends' nearly daily. It was like art and perfect for someone like me who liked to fidget. Also, I really loved the smell of hair gel, mouse, and hair spray for some reason. Maybe that's why there was something wrong with my head? Maybe that's why I felt some other person inside of me whenever I was around Daniel? He did use a lot of products in his hair. Anyway, sorry for the morning rambling. I would have thought about being a hair dresser but I wanted a job with a bit of a high salary. 

     He sat on the floor and I knelt before him with my bag of skin care, hair and makeup products. I put skin, essence and moisturizer on his face, thinking I wouldn't mind taking over Jisung's job mothering Daniel with this kind of thing. It had been fun and it gave me a ton of excuses to touch him. Which drove my inner fan girl into a speechless frenzy, which was nice.

    I started working on his hair. It was a lot softer than I thought, considering how damaged bleaching and color dying did to your hair. That's why I never did it. My hair was my life. It was super soft, glossy and naturally colored the healthiest hair you would find in this dorm likely. Daniel's hair needed a trim too. He told me he always kept his hair long and he had been dying it often since he graduated high school. I massaged his head with rose scented hair essence. His face was practically melting with pleasure.

     "Wow, you have such magical hands. No one has ever done this to me before. Do it again tomorrow, please? I bet this would wake me right up. It's such a stress reliever."

     "Sure thing. Anything for our center."

     Psh, he made a contradictory sound with his lips. "I have no dreams of being center. I am just a rapper and dancer. And I'm not cute at all. The center will have to do a ton of commercials. They should be able to be captivating, attractive, youthful and cute. I am not that young or cute, I can't speak properly and worse I am an awkward duck when it comes to aegyo."

     I finished pressing my fingers on his scalp and running the oil through his hair. Then I grabbed the drier and started putting it on low cool, tousling his hair everyway as I circled the object around his head to dry evenly.

     "I don't think you're as terrible as you think. Just try. I will tell you my honest opinion."

     First, he tried some winks. Then, he blew some kisses. It turns out he knew the popular aegyo phrases too. The bbuing bbuing, kiyomi addition, and the I dreamed about a ghost. He flashed every kind of heart, obviously holding his wish to laugh at himself and cringe.

     I resisted making a cringing face and bending my fingers in an uncomfortable  chicken feet motion. I appreciated that he was trying hard right now. I knew he was more sensitive than most people and he had somehow developed a complex about it. So I controlled my emotions and gave him feedback.

     "The regular stuff is good. The popular excessive stuff is okay, but it's obvious you're feeling awkward and I think it doesn't suit your image. You're a cool Busan man. I would just go with natural aegyo and put your own casual, sangnamja flair. Don't try to be cute, be more chic about it, like it's no big deal. Flash it like it's lightning and girls won't know what even happened. They will feel like they were just shot suddenly. Straight in the heart." 

      I demonstrated what I meant, putting down the hair drier since his hair was fluffed enough. I flashed a few winks and finger hearts as serious and cool as I could. No cheesy smiles or exagerration. The trick was not to do it very long.

      "Oh~ nice~" he applauded, sounding impressed. 

     After that, we had a short aegyo lesson out of nowhere on aegyo. We stopped when we heard Minhyun and Jaehwan calling us to all come out and get breakfast. There were store bought bread, milk, toast, yogurt, cheese, and cut up fruit. We gathered as many as we could in the kitchen, grabbing greedily for food. 

      "Here," Daniel stood next to me with the yummiest looking strawberry pastry I had ever seen. He had a piece of flaky croissant and strawberry wrapped in a bit of white cream in his fingers. Well, he was certainly getting more comfortable initiating skinship. I loved that.

     "Hmm," I murmured gleefully as I slurped up directly from his fingers. It tasted fantastic, but if I was being personally fed by my friend the God's hands, even garbage would be. 

     As we fed each other whatever foods we could get ahold of and filled our empty stomachs, I listened into some of the other trainees' conversations. Through this I learned that some people hadn't slept well last night.

     Apparently, Seonho had snuck into bed with Minhyun. Minhyun had freaked out to find himself being cuddled in the middle of the night and it seemed like he might have not just imagined Seonho trying to kiss him. Minhyun kicked him out of the bed and straight onto the floor, screaming bloody murder.

      Then there was Daehwi who's fear of scary looking Dongho who had a nightmare with Dongho as a zombie or something chasing him around the dorm, trying to kill him. He had woke up Jinyoung while crying because of his crying. They had stayed up all night  talking because he couldn't go to sleep. 

     Young foreigner Gwanlin was having a tough time already. Jihoon had been worried about him having a nightmare. So they had played games on his tablet until they fell asleep on the floor. I had thought it was a one sided love, there. Lucky for Gwanlin, it seemed Jihoon was coming around. This morning i saw them discussing some Korean questions Gwanlin had. He had only been studying about a year. With a friend to study with, he was sure to improve even more quickly. Luckily, he could adapt to languages quickly having already learned two languages fluently. 

      I was interrupted from my thoughts about how others were also having sweet bromances thanks to this ghost prank also when I heard a childlike voice I had recently come to find extremely annoying recently. 

     "Daniel hyung, sleep well? I came to your room last night, but you weren't in your bed. I was wondering if you had snuck out the dorm or something." 

      I didn't think about the silliness of what I was doing. I merely acted on my jealous instincts as my inner fan girl told me not to let any threat close to my Daniel. I grabbed hold of Daniel's arm, putting my body slightly forward between him and Woojin.

      "Hi, you are Woojin, right? I don't think we have ever been introduced properly. I am Ong Sungwoo from Fantagio, A rank." 

     He shook my hand rather awkwardly, his grip weak. He was probably wondering what he had done to get that kind of reaction. Daniel gave me an amused, questioning look but didn't say anything about being pulled around possessively or interrupted. I moved my arm to swing around Daniel's neck. Again displaying ownership and closeness.

     "Hello, nice to meet you. I am Lee Woojin. I haven't been a trainee for long. I remember you did really impressive popping moves on the first day. I wish I could learn that. But I have barely started mastering the basics, popping is still a bit advanced for me. Daniel said he would teach me and then he went up to the A class. Lucky for him, not so for me."

     "Sorry, Jinnie. Maybe I will have some time later in the dorms. Or we could end up in the same group in the next evaluation mission, you never know. I will teach you sometime anyway."

     Jinnie? What the freak was with this Jinnie crud? I was not liking that nickname thing, not one bit. My inner fan girl was pulling out her hair.

    "Yeah, or I could. He should learn from a master, shouldn't he? You're more about b-boy and Woojin doesn't have the physical strength to attempt freezes and flares. I will teach you, okay? I have more free time. This guy is always sleeping."

    "Oh, were you having trouble sleeping too, hyung? That's why I went to find you. I was having nightmares and you were the first person I thought that I could talk to about it."

    "Oh, did you have nightmares? Sorry I wasn't there to comfort you. But I was..."

    Oh, thank god I let him stay with me. Who knows what they would have been up to. Daniel would probably have let him sleep on his lap and pet him like his house cats.

    I fake coughed, cleared my throat, and interrupted very obviously again. "He was with me last night. He slept in my bed. I made sure to chase away any ghosts and demons coming for you, right?"

    Daniel full on flushed, avoiding my eyes, hiding a grin behind his hand. "Yeah, something like that. I wasn't scared or anything. I was just..."

    "Lonely? Needy? Falling for my charms?"

    "No..." He grumbled, looking more flustered and a bit annoyed. He is so flipping cute, tease him some more until he's an upset pouting tomato, my inner fan girl egged on.

     "You will fall into the world of my charms, in 3 2 1." I hit my hands together in front of my face like I was hitting a slate which I had always wanted to do. I made my voice sound as hypnotically appealing as I could.

     Daniel and Woojin busted up laughing. Daniel found a way then to get back at me, like the discussion of my charms had been the kindling for a great idea. He started making jokes at my expense. He made fun of the way I danced, imitating my robot arm popping style to a T but in a hilarious fashion. The others in the room who noticed it cracked up laughing. Then, having that one imitation be successful, he went on to imitate the other day when I brought in a bag of snacks, protecting it from the rain. People said that I had looked like a thief with a bagful of goods I was sneaking away with. People clapped and howled with laughter.

     I stood there looking at the ground, scratching the back of my head in embarassment, my mouth opened to object, but I was for once left speechless. I racked my mind, trying to think of way to make fun of him as well. I recalled seeing a youtube video by chance when I was researching the trainees I would be competing against. We had all made some introduction video. In Daniel's, he had dressed up as Harry Potter and spoke in British English. He'd had the red and yellow tie, the robe, a wand and glasses even.

    "I'm Kang Potter. I'm a wizard of Hogwarts, Griffindor class. It's wingardian leviosa, not wingardian levio-sa," I said in my best British accent imitation, waving my finger like a swishing wand.

     Daniel laughed and hid his face on his bent knees as the amusement was turned on him. Then I heard a familar shout and turned around.

     "Oh! My!" 

     I faced Samuel, copying his infamous gesture with two open hands out in utter surprise.

"God!" We finished together.

      We laughed and I held my arms wide for some brotherly love. He jumped into them and hugged me gladly. I hadn't seen Samuel at all since our shower and I felt a little bad for ignoring him. He was young too so he might have also had problems sleeping with nightmares. I was only thinking of Daniel all night and this morning too, even though Samuel was in the same room as me currently. 

      "Seongwu hyung, you absolutely have to try this ham and cheese! They're fantastic!" 

       Well, he seemed perfectly fine. Maybe he was more mature than the others, or he was one of those odd, rare kids that liked horror films. He had a piece of sausage stuck between two orange blocks of cheese. I opened my mouth, willing to try anything really. Today was a feast for breakfast truly. The other days had been porridge and cereal. He stuffed it in.

 

Kang Daniel's POV

 

     I silently observed the reaction between Seongwu and Samuel, who had appeared out of nowhere. I was looking for signs of a growing love interest or physical attraction. They hugged, but it felt like how an uncle would treat his baby nephew to me. Samuel fed him, but he didn't have a flirty expression or linger his finger tips on Sungwoo's lips as I figured an interested male would do(I saw it in a boys love comic). He wasn't subtly touching or pressing up on him either(also a boy love comic tip).  Before I knew it, I was cutting in on the feeding session. I turned his head and stuffed some fruit in.

     "That's my job," I almost growled. 

      What was coming over me? I felt like I was a dog marking its territory,  chasing any rivals away from my mate. With a girl I could understand my reaction. But this was just my friend, Seongwu. A guy friend clearly through and through. 

      Seongwu munched the fruit happily, looking at me with eyes widened in surprise and an exceptionally pleased grin. Wait, did he like that kind of thing? Friends fighting over him? Or was it that he liked guys fighting for him? Was he really like that after all? Damn, I really wished phones were allowed, then I could look up how to tell if your guy friend was gay. Maybe I could find a magazine somewhere.

     "Oh, really? Then you've been slacking, royal feeder boy," he joked, coming back over to me and opening his big mouth wide for more. 

     I rolled my eyes, not believing myself. Not only could I not believe I had said that and come in the way of him and Samuel, but also because I realized I really enjoyed feeding Sungwoo. Almost as much as I had enjoyed his pampering this morning and the feel of his hands on my face and head. The thing that was most unbelievable was I liked the snuggling session he had unknowingly given me last night the most.

     Was I really that lonely? It had been a few months since my last girlfriend, I had been too busy to find and deal with older girls. Or maybe it was the wierd atmosphere getting to me, being with all boys and not a single girl around or chance to go out. We couldn't even relieve our sexual frustrations alone because we never had an ounce of privacy. I needed to do it at least once a week. Hehe, you are imagining dirty things now, right? Got you! That was a lie, by the way. Or was it? 

     I shelved my complex thoughts to deal with later. I had too much going on in my life now to deal with a sudden identity crisis. If my preferences were changing, I would figure it out sometime naturally, like if I got kissed and discovered I like it. Then I would think what to do, but I figured it probably wouldn't matter much to me. I was good at accepting myself, however I was and whatever idiosyncracies or faults I had. I could put a positive spin on it as I did with everything else.

     I obediently fed Seongwu. Samuel gave me the tiniest irritated grimace-- I wasn't sure if I was mistaken. Then he was smiling brightly again.

     "You two sure are close. You even stayed in the same bed all night. I think fans are going to come up with a fan name for you soon."

     Did I detect a bit of envy and disdain in there? Yes, I am pretty sure I sensed a very subtle hint of it. This time.

      I found myself wondering if the fans would ship us together and what our couple name would be. Danwoo? Sungniel? Kangwoo? Kangsung? Ongniel? Nielwoo? I had no idea about these things. They all sounded wierd to me. I didn't understand why fans did that. Wasn't it better to imagine themselves with their favorite? Why would they dream up a situation where all idols were gay and make it seem even slimmer a chance for them to be with their favorite?

     If I liked a girl singer, I didn't believe she was dating some other girl in her group. I actually dreamed of meeting her after I had debuted, sweeping her off her feet, and being involved in a scandolous forbidden relationship. Only older girls though, that was my type. Some older girl I could lead around and learn from. I would be ten centimetres taller and call her a midget. 

     "I've already thought of it. I think Ongniel sounds good, don't you?

    "Sure, I guess it sounds alright. They can call us what they want. As long as I sound cooler, and I'm considered the man."

     "But would you really be, babe? When I get all wound up, I'm an animal. Hard to control and vicious and beastly. You would find it hard to be on top, I am guessing. I won our wrestling match too. Seems like proof to me."

     Usually, I liked playing around with innuendos. But that's more when I was initiating it. Also, not when the man in questiom I was having confusing thoughts about. Now i was picturing us on the floor with tangled limbs and unbottuned shirts doing things a lot more suggestive than wrestling. A shiver and heat spread through me and I blushed, unable to look at him for a minute.

     He was back chatting with Samuel, keeping his arm hooked casually around my neck and leaning against me. His soft messily styled hair brushed my cheek. He was close enough for me to be aware of his cologne. It smelled better than mine. I subtly shifted my face so my nose was closer to his body. It smelled fantastic, earthy light musly and sexy. I would have to ask him to let me borrow it. It was yummy enough to bury my face in and lick.

     I strongly resisted the temptation. We were in a room full of trainees, and besides, that would just be weird. I had been feeling really weird since last night. And I really needed to focus on the first official performance today. I needed to snap out of this funk. I thought the best way was likely to distance myself from Samuel and Seongwu who were creating this stir in me. But I don't want to stay away from Seongwu for very long, I pouted as I thought. 

 

 

     After breakfast, we walked to the studio to practice the dance all together one last time. It was a grueling four hours. We went through the song forty times in a giant group. Then, we split up by rank to practice about a hundred times more. A rank had to all show the whole song by themselves as well to get personal feedback about how we could do better in performing. I was told to smile a bit more and look like I was really having fun. 

     There was a surprise event the judges planned for us. We were asked to change into our colored ranking unifirms and clean up. We hurriedly put on some make-up, sensing a recording coming up.

     It turned out we were having a battle for the A rank center position. We were going to be given an hour to prepare something that we coupd show whrn we got the center position, even adding a rap or a different dance. The center would be allowed twenty to thirty seconds to do whatever they wanted and would become the main focus at that time, on top of being at the front of formation during most of the dance break parts and mot of the chorus parts. They would get over a full minute of camera time at the front of the other twenty or so trainees in the group.

     While we were thinking of what to prepare, there was a dance battle between all members. Anyone who wanted to come out could, especially the people specializing in dance or the goofballs who thought they were terrific dancers yet never danced seriously. Most people in the A group came out, performing amazing freestyle that made the other trainees scream and applaud enthusiastically, standing ovations and asking for an encore performance.

     Taehyun did crumping. Seongwu did his crazy popping style, looking like a malfunctioning robot but in a very cool way. Woojin was really impressive, a total 180 change in character when dancing solo and very expressive. Samuel was amazing I would have to admit, he had incredibly fast and light feet. It was clear these guys had all been dancing for several years and had either gotten lessons or studied videos on their own extensively. They were impressive competition for me.

      I did what I did best, putting all my efforts into impressing with all the b-boy tricks I could put in one short routine. I didn't usually like attention or people fawning over me(I was comfortable being good but in a mediocre way, stably popular but not obsessively so, I liked keeping to myself and keeping privacy, that's why I wasn't greedy for the center position).

     Then we split apart to practice our center position audition while the other trainees chatted and relaxed on the stands. I wrote a rap. Some others had headphones in practicing their own choreography. Others were writing raps as well. 

     I panicked towards the last five minutes of our preparation time. I couldn't recall my lyrics no matter how much I tried. I ended up having to be first as well as reading my rap off the paper, just kind of walking and bouncing around the stage. I should have danced at least to try to seem cooler, but my mind was in a total gray haze. I barely was aware of what I was doing. I just wanted to get out of there, out of everyone's sight. I was way too under prepared. 

   I sat down at my seat afterwords, staring at the floor, not wanting to meet anyone's eyes. I felt like their silence was stabbing my back. It was hard for me aftrr always getting applause and compliments so far. That wasn't even one percent of what I coupd really do. Well, at least I had learned another of my limits besides aegyo.

     My face reddened and my eyes stung. I bit my bottom lip, fighting back tears. Sungwoo sat next to me after his own dance performancr and wrapped his arm around my back, pulling me close to his side. When I ignored him, he rested his chin on my shoulder. His low voice almost a whisper tickled my ear.

     "Hey, buddy. You did a good job. I will definitely vote for you. And myself of course. But you should definitely be the center, you deserve it. Don't be upset, okay? It doesn't suit you. You look the best when you're smiling."

     I wasn't upset because I had likely lost position for center. I was more upset at myself for failing. It was embarrassing to read off a paper because I knew I only had some lyrics memorised and I wasn't a freestyle rapper, I didn't have enough experience. Other rappers did their own rap without a mistake or cheat sheets after me. In the end,  I was the only one who put on a mediocre performance considering the honor of my high rank and the expectations people had because of that. I was feeling humilated and disappointed in myself.

     I sank my head lower. Somehow having that happen in front of my new friend who respected and encoraged me so much more than most others hurt worse. The tears I had been fighting spilled from my eyes, just a few drops. I wasn't sure if he sensed it or not. I sure hope not. I had only cried a few times in my life since I started elementary school. Busan guys were strong, definitely not crybabies, and I was even more so. Probably because I was always positive, happy and disconnected with negative emotions. Sometimes I was sad and lonely and I didn't even realize that that's why I was feeling weird.

    "Hmm?" He murmured, nudging my body for a response and stroking my back. He continued speaking when I remained silent.

    "Don't worry about it, buddy. Stop the waterworks now. It's not worth it. You rapped well. Who can easily remember lyrics in just thirty minutes? I certainly couldn't, most people couldn't. That wasn't even expected of you. The rap is more important than perfect delivery. You wrote well so it would have been a shame to not properly show it. And you haven't been rapping long, remember? You were focused on singing and dancing until a few months ago. That's what you told me. Your CEO saw you randomly rapping while you were listening to Show Me the Money tracks on your mp3 playing around in the studio hallway waiting for the studio to open up. He spotted your potential right away and decided that that's the direction you should go. You can do everything now. Your rap is just as impressive as your dance and singing. I don't think any one can deny that. Your performance was good enough to prove that, paper or no." 

    His words warmed my mood and put me at peace, along with the way he gently patted the back of my head.

     "Come here, crybaby. You're ruining your makeup and will look like a racoon soon." 

     I sniffled and half-laughed, wiping a tear running down the side of my nose. He turned my head toward his and dabbed the rest of the tears with his thumb and knuckles. He pressed his head against mine and whispered into my ear.

    "Much prettier. Keep smiling, Daniel, always. That's your best quality, did you know? Keep smiling, laughing, and acting carefree, killing your performances and putting in your best efforts. The fans love will naturally come at you in waves. Just wait and see. It's science. I bet you will get enough love to be the center. I habe a good feeling when I look at you."

    I smiled and blushed, feeling quite shy and awkward now. He was totally treating me as a lover and my heart was even racing a bit. He was quite a dangerous man. Was he always this forward, affectionate, and cool? He must have had a lot of admirers at his school I bet. He was a natural charmer and extremely sincerely sweet.

     I was only able to say one thing. I was feeling too embarassed, shy and emotionally distraught which I wasn't used to or had any idea how to handle. "Thanks." 

    He grinned widely, his big eyes twinkling warmly. "Anytime, if it's you."

 

 

     Not long after the battle for center, it was time to go record. We had a small lunch of Subway sandwiches. Then we put on our gray school uniforms and checkered tie and went to the dressing room salons to get our hair and makeup done professionally. While I was having my makeup done, I  took a short blessed nap. When I was done getting styled, I went to go find a friend.

     I stopped by Woojin for a bit. He was looking adorable with his hair wavy styled and cherry lips next to his even more paler now skin. I pat his shoulder to get his attention. He jumped and then broke into a welcoming bright smile.

     "Hyung, hi! How are you feeling? How was Rank A's practice? Everybody in B rank is doing good. Excited about dancing on TV finally."

     "I'm pretty excited about it, too. Waited a long time for this moment. I feel ready to prove myself to the world. It's time to show the world Kang Daniel. But no pressure. I am just going to be myself and let the wind blow wherever it wishes. You shouldn't feel any pressure either, okay? Just have fun."

     I patted his shoulder in encouragement. "I am your fan, you know."

     "I am a big fan of yours too, hyung." He put his hand over mine and grinned a wide, innocent, youthful grin.

     Not much time passed before I felt a bit bored talking to him cute and sweet as he was though, so I went to find Seongwu. He was done being styled, his makeup done perfectly so he looked even more ridiculously handsome with his tiny sculpted actor's face. His hair was gracefully swept up and over in a wave across the left of his face and the rest neatly groomed back and waving out at the ends. It was a cool windswept look. I was all greasy and messy looking and quite hard.

     He was with a group of trainees from random ranks, Sungwoon, Jihoon, Gwanlin, and Samuel included. I walked over to them with a big friendly grin. I tried to sneak up on Sungwoo to exact revenge for last night, but he had spidy senses. He wheeled around right before I was about to shout and pounce. He had a huge smile on his face. He knew what I was planning.

     "Sorry buddy, no luck for your revenge this time. Better be a bit more sneaky. You step like a bear with those big feet. I would think a dancer would be more light on his feet. I guess that's not an expertise they bother teaching at summer b-boy camp," he teased, wrapping his arm around my shoulders lightly and pulling me into the group. 

     The others greeted me kindly, some more affectionately and warmly than others like the people from group A and B who knew me. Samuel on the other hand was silent, his eyes on Seongwu, flashing between his face and his hand on my shoulder. We chatted about what we figured would happen at the recording today, how the practices were going, and how we should act when the cameras came our way. We didn't know when we would be zoomed in on, so we had to dance hard and keep our focus fully on attractive emotive expressions. The votes would be heavily affected for the first real ranking evaluation. Only the top 11 would debut and soon they would be cutting half the contests at least maybe more this season. I had to be within the top 60 to survive, but I at least wanted to be above 20 the first evaluation and gradually go up for there. So, I had been practicing my expressions any time in the mirror and looking more closely at that in practice. 

     Somewhere in the coversation, I caught Seongwu looking at me a lot. The first day or two I didn't really notice it. But now that I noticed it, he really did it quite unusually often. He would grin, nod and laugh whenever I did, as if he was imitating or mocking me. I found myself more conscious of how I looked and acted.

     Before we went out to record, he touched my hair. He spent a full minute arranging it, his serious handsomely face inches from mine so I had no choice but to awkwardly stare at his perfect nose. His soft fingers gently brushed my forehead and ears. He really liked doing hair. He then sat down and arranged his own hair, adding so much spray he started coughing and the air turned hazy. I don't know why but I found it funny. I sure did laugh for the most ridiculous reasons. It seemed my laugh was catchy though. When I laughed Seongwu would laugh as well. When I got excited so did he.

     We were excited for an actual legitimate reason today. We held hands and jumped around in a circle, singing "We're going to be on TV we're gonna be on tv~".

 

 

     Before the actual recording started, we were given five minutes to drink water, take a small rest, and mentally prepare ourseles. I drank a full bottle of water and then went to the bathroom.

     I stood with the A group, waiting for us to be announced to go into our positions. I gazed around the room and the hundred contestants. This was it. I was going to perform on TV for the first time. I wonder if I looked okay. Then I worried I would mess up the choreography. I played it through in full detail in my mind. Then I played through it again, this time recalling my plan for my expressions and the areas where I would put in an extra flair that I hoped the cameras would capture and display at least one of for the National Producers to see. The nerves started getting to me, just a little bit. Okay, quite badlly, I would have to admit. Although that wasn't like me at all. What was going on with me today? I was being fuc.king lame.

     "Hey, your fingernails are short enough already. Don't make me have to take you out for a manicure on our first day off. My sister made me do it a few times when I bit my nails. It's so freaking wierd. I felt so much like a girl, I started chatting about people's love lives, diets, current fashion trends, and even gave love advice. It destroys your masculinity right away, I tell you. Next thing you know, you are getting hot pink polish."

     Seongwu pulled on my wrist, separating my fingers from my lips where I had been gnawing on the tips. I couldn't help but laugh at his story-disguised confession. He really had gotten hot pink nail polish and talked gossip, hadn't he? I bet he had invented a girly name for himself and even started speaking in a high, soft-pitched tone too. Only this dork! God, he was a riot. Why didn't the world make more awesomeness people like him?

     "Just feeling a bit of pressure."

     "Why would you go and do that, you goof?" he scolded lightly, slapping my shoulder. "Pressure is like cancer. It eats you up from the inside out and you lose all your hair. Don't even think about it. Just be yourself, have fun."

    I snorted, thinking how I had just been advising Woojin the same thing. "Sure is easier said than done."

    "Want me to perform some magic on you? You will feel at ease and today you will kick but in 3, 2, and 1," Seongwu slapped his hands in front of me like hypnosis.

     I doubted he was performing anything real, but I didn't actually feel a bit better. That was just because that was Seongwu's real talent. He had the magical ability to improve people's moods. I was grateful for his existence for the umpteenth time today. If only I had had this sort of friend earlier in my life. 

     After talking to Seongwu, I felt confident and at a otherwordly level of peace. The recordings was extremely fun. I performed exactly as I had planned. Even better even. It was the best performance of my life and I was more satisfied knowing Seongwu was right by my side, challenging me, pushing me, and also giving me new strength. 

     We sat on some stairs in the broadcast station, still in are uniforms. Seongwu laid his head on my shoulders, seeming just as exhausted and satisfied as me..i felt tired from.relief as well so i just sat there with him. 

    "Good job today."

   "You too."

    "I hope we both get lots of votes."

    "I'm sure you will. I don't know about me. I didn't do as good as i did at practice. "

    I put my fingers on his cheeks pushing his pout into a grin."Promise me something?"

    "Depends. I don't really want to transfer my legs to you if you get into an accident."

     I chuckled. "I don't think it's that bad. Promise me we will get through this mess somehow. Let's debut together. If you break the promise or i do, we owe the other motorcycle of choice."

    "Oh nice! Now I kind of don't want you to make it. I really love going on drives," he teased. 

     "But the bet winner has to take the loser out for a drive twice a month," I added right away.

     We shook on the deal. Then we noticed a photographers swinging by. We struck our hands out in a V sign for a company picture.

 

 

Ong Sunwoo's POV

 

    That picture showed later on the Produce 101 homepage was special for me. It marked the success of a difficult time for us. But those crazy days were just the beginning. We had four months until it would be finally decided if we could debut. Who knew if we could keep that promise. But I intended on somehow finding this picture that held special meaning for me and printing it out to keep.

     At that time, I was happy about a lot of things. Especially that I was getting so much affection and attention from Daniel finally. He seemed to feel much closer to me. Like he had just started opening a secret door in his heart. I had seen so many emotions that others would never get the chance to see. Best of all, he felt a lot more warm to me and I could feel our friendship growing stronger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I managed to fit in some real events. Not sure if you noticed. If I can fit it in somehow as just basic need to know knowledge that could have sensibly happened behind the scenes I will. Tell me if you caught the moments from the recent Wanna One Go episode and Happy Together episode :) I also threw in some other couple moments. Later I will give them much more screen time. Next chapter actually you will see Daehwi, Dongho, Jinyoung and Jaehwan, Minhyun, and Seonho at least. Haven't decided about what other couples I could throw in. Any recommendation? I am not really aware of many other ships in Wanna One. It's still a bit early for those to be formed solidly besides Woojin and Daniel and ongniel. 
> 
>      There was more jealousy and sexy moments in this chapter which I figured you all would like. You also got to see Daniel's sensitive insecure posessive and playful sides. Aw, the thought that he might have cried after his center battle rap breaks my heart. I hope Sungwoo really did comfort him, he must have really had his pride damaged. But nothing was broadcasted on the show so I am not so sure. Anyway Daniel was really the star of this chapter, and Ong's girly pampering side. I did notice this subtly appear in Produce 101, not totally making it up. But doesn't obsessing with hair and skin and even getting pink nails fit him somehow? Sungwoo is a bit feminine but mostly fearless and never shameful. I don't think there's anything he wouldn't do, especially to be funny. But sometimes he is humiliated later when looking back and he wonders why he doesn't do things that maintain his handsome image. And that is the most adorable. Like at the showcase when he broke a poster with his debut pictures, he seemed so humiliated and ticked. Or when Dan made fun of him or he got a low score on the punch machine(show it later promise). Those little things are what makes a person  so endearing and loveable.
> 
>      Ah, they are both so adorable. Sometimes I am tempted to switch biases. But then I see Daniel break dancing or flashing abs or nonstop smiling or attempting aegyo or hear that deep voice and I just melt. Both are such great boyfriend material. Man if only.... They are both exactly my type darn. 
> 
>      See you within a week. Once or twice a week update is ok, right? Have a great day. Leave a comment about what you enjoyed this chapter and what you would like to see more of. And please let me know about other produce 101 ships I can study and mention in future chapters please. 
> 
>      Annyung~ 


	6. Save You in My Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moments with Jinhiwi, Minhwan, and Nielhwang. Daniel and Seongwoo have a steamy incident in the shower. Seongwoo's feelings get revealed.

Chapter 6: Save You in my Heart

Setting: Produce 101 dorms

Month: April

 

 

Daehwi's POV.

     "Jinyoung hyung, let's use the other bathroom," I suggested after discovering who was in the usual bathroom we occupied.

     I had discovered that Kang Dongho was in the bathroom we usually went to. At first, Jinyoung, my closest friend in the dorm, gave me a questioning look. Then, he nodded and went 'ah' when he peeked in through the door to see what trainees were inside. He pulled me along to the other bathroom. We walked in as we usually walked around anywhere, my hand resting in the crook of his arm.

     I really liked Jinyoung. He understood me well and we were incredibly similar in looks and personality. Only he was taller. But to my defense, he wore much thicker insoles all the time, even in his socks around the dorm.

     We both had height complexes. We both liked being cute, looking good, and being physically affectionate. We were both always looking in mirrors and thought we were handsome. We often fixed the others hair and makeup like a personal stylist. We both were famous for taking long showers. We both were mischievous, playful, and one of the few teenagers here. We both had a lot of charms and cuteness. We were both easily scared and needy.

     We were a friend match made in heaven. Since we took long showers, we comfortably took them together without burdening or annoying other partners.

     At first, I had been closest with Samuel because he was also young, cute, charming, and mostly because we could speak English together whenever we wanted. It was always us and Guanlin.

     Then, after the ghost prank, I came to really like Jinyoung. He helped me get through the night so I wouldn't have nightmares. We talked a lot, we played games, we cuddled under the blankets. Now we were inseparable.

     He helped me through all my problems and if I cried over something, he wiped my years and hugged me kindly. We were always embracing and touching. Other people might have been burdened by it. That's another reason we were so drawn to each other. 

     In the bathroom, we put up our blond hair in bands away from our faces. Then, we rubbed cleansing cream on each others faces at the same time, playing around and laughing until we were covered in white goo. Just like that stupid fake ghost that had frightened the life out of us the other day. We washed it out and towel dried.

     "I think we need to ask for advice about Dongho. You can't go living the next two weeks like this. You need to overcome your fear. I am sure Dongho isn't as scary as he seems. He insists that he isn't actually. I think it's just his image and he's rather serious. Maybe he has a smiling complex. If you tried to talked to him more, then things will get better. I'm sure."  

     "Yeah, you're right," I sighed with reluctance and pouted.

     He smiled sympathetically and rubbed my cheek, his long, thin thumb brushing the corner of my mouth sweetly.

     "But who can we talk to? The other Nuest hyungs? We're not close to any of them either. Also, they might be offended and tell Dongho about how I feel. Dongo could get hurt. I don't want to hurt anyone."

     "How about Seongwoo hyung? He's close with everyone, even Dongho. I don't think he finds him scary at all. I saw them talking and joking around a few times."

     "I don't know. Wouldn't Seongwoo just make fun of me? He's always cracking jokes. This is serious to me. It would make me feel bad."

     "No, I have hung out and talked to him a bit. He's not like that. He's nice, caring, and helpful. I saw him helping Daniel hyung with his awkward aegyo, he helped Woojin with popping, he helped his A group members with singing and dancing a lot, he helped Samuel with putting his face cream on, he helps translate for Guanlin from English sometimes. He seriously knows how to befriend anyone. Let's go ask his advice."

     I hisitantly agreed and followed him out. It wasn't difficult to find where Seongwoo was. We had all been placed into groups for our next challenge. We were doing covers of songs that showed off our abilities to collaborate on our own in various groups.

     Seongwoo was chosen by Minhyun to be in the Sorry Sorry group. Along with Minhyun, Jonghyun, Daniel, Hyunbin, and Jaehwan. Minhyun had chosen an excellent group of stars on the rise with a lot of talents charm and handsome looks. Now they were all rooming together.

     I was in the BTS group and one of those people was Dongho who I was now rooming with. Everything about his strong, serious presence and massive, bulky body was terrifying to me. Even his stubble. Especially his hawk like eyes. It didn't help he rarely seemed to smile. And now we were going to be competing with each other. I even had nightmares with him in it, usually trying to kidnap or kill me. Even though we just needed to cleanse before sleeping, I didn't want to be in the same area as him, especially with mirrors in super close quarters. 

    We went into the Sorry Sorry room right after washing up. Just a few of them were there. Seongwoo and Daniel were reading comics on a bottom bunk while chewing on a bag of gummies, ones that strangely looked exactly like life-sized fried eggs. Jaehwan was on the top bunk, playing guitar.

    Hyunbin was in another bunk sleeping, which he always seemed to be doing. Apparently, it was hard for the young guy to get used to our schedule even now. I don't know how he could become an idol or why he would even want to, considering you had stretches of days with barely any sleep. I was betting on him quitting halfway through this show and going back to modeling. He was with a big company and he was handsome, so surely he would do well.

     "Seongwoo hyung. Can I ask for help?"

     "Sure, Jinyoung!" The handsome actor slash idol slash gag man grinned kindly, putting his book politely down.

     Daniel, the pink haired, tanned Busan guy who was smiling often but usually pretty quiet, looked up at us curiously over his folded legs. We sat down and started talking. I told him everything, summarizing and skipping emnarassing bits when necessary. The whole thing in itself was embarassing. Daniel was giggling, but he was often laughing to himself like that for seemingly no reason so I wasn't sure if it was because he found me amusingly childish or not.

     "Ah, I see. That's quite a conundrum you've got there. Hmm," the brunette colored hyung murmured thoughtfully, tapping his chin and looking over at Daniel like the pinkness of his hair helped him reach a solution.

    "Here's what I think you should do. Dongho actually really likes coke and shrimp crackers. You bring in some of those to share and offer it to him when it's just the two of you. Then, you should tell him stories. He likes that. He doesn't like talking much but if you give a story, then he will give you one back. Then, you tell him he is a senior you really respect and ask advice. You let it slip bashfully that you were a Nuest fan and they gave you the final push to go for your dream. All the Nuest guys are weak when it comes to their fans. They like to have their ego boosted up. After that day, I am sure he will open up to you. Then you probably won't be scared of him anymore. That's my plan. Take it or leave it and good luck."

     "Thanks so much, hyung!" We stood up and bowed deeply to him.

     But Seongwoo felt awkward with that kind of thing. He rubbed our heads affectionately and told us to stop, that he just loved helping people, especially cute dongsaengs.

     "Good luck, fighting!" Daniel turned to us, just now finally unburying his nose from the book, and grinning encouragingly. What a commercial like smile he had. Well, both of them really.

     After that, we were standing awkwardly in the middle of the room while the pink-haired and brunette hyungs got lost in their own world again, snacking and reading comics in the cozy darkened shade of the upper bed amid a mountain of messy blankets.  We whispered secretly as we watched the two smile and giggle at each other over nothing.

     "They are really cute together. You think Daniel knows?"

     "It's pretty obvious to Seoul guys. But Daniel is from Busan. Guys are much more cool and standoffish there. I bet he just thinks all Seoul guys act like that."

     "Well, he's in for a big surprise the closer he gets to Seongwoo hyung."

     "Yeah, I bet. Don't you think Seongwoo is a bit overly friendly compared to others? Even with a crowded room or some distance, Seongwoo is always looking at Daniel."

     "Yeah, actually I think he loves Daniel hyung a bit though. It's more than just being friendly from what I've observed."

     "Oh, wow. Daniel of all people... He's so obviously straight though. That's the path to heartbreak right there."

     "Hey, you never know. I was sure I was straight too."

    "Huh, really? Jinyoung hyung, it's even more obvious than Seongwoo  Hyung!"

     "Ah, was it? I guess that's why my parents never pressured me to get a girlfriend my whole life."

     We giggled, holding each other gently around the waist and snuggling. It was our favorite position and we didn't care at all how people may look at our friendship. If they interpreted the truth, it was great. If they didn't, we were happy to enjoy more privacy. We were just enjoying whatever time we had to spend every day together, hoping in the end we would both make it into the top 11. Then, our relationship could continue for at least another year and a half. 

 

 

Minhyun's POV

     I waited for Seongwoo and Jaehwan to leave our room before approaching my target. I had come up with a genius strategy. I had convinced them to be one of the people to go buy water and the groceries we needed tonight, along with Seonho, killing three birds with one stone. I wanted to get Daniel alone, which was quite difficult seeing how we were all rooming together since a couple of days ago. I really hadn't thought it through when I chose my group members.

     Not that we had any conflicts. Our chemistry was great, minus the difficult, inexperienced, and lazy Hyunbin anyway. He was going to be the ruin of our team and me, the leader, as well, I swear. He was one of the reasons I couldn't get any sleep these few nights. I was determined to make him better so he wouldn't drag our team down in the actual performance at least.

     The other reason was my recent issues with Seonho and Jaehwan. I really needed to ask for Daniel's help about this too, since he knew them both pretty well and he could understand my predicament best, I figured.

     "Did you need something?" he asked with a curiously raised eyebrow when I sat next to him in his bed. It was understandable since we weren't very close yet. I was bad at that, even I would admit.

     "I know that I haven't talked to you much outside of the studio. Sorry about that. I'm just a quiet, rather shy, introverted person. You understand, right?"

     He grinned and nodded . "Sure, sure. I can understand. Exactly. Yup."

     Sure, he understood. He was similar to me. Kind and sweet, helpful, always smiling but rather quiet and reserved with most people. I had only ever seen him open up to a special few he often talked to and joked with, mainly Jisung, Woojin, and these days more often than any other, Seongwoo . They had been pretty much attached at the hip.

     But I couldn't trust Seongwoo , the dorm clown and prankster, with this classified information. He would tease me until hell froze over guaranteed. Not that he was a bad person, not at all actually. He was incredibly bright, charming, and good-natured on top of being funny. Everyone in the dorm liked him. Most people just accepted that's how he was, a talented, handsome gag man. I had never personally seen Seongwoo serious, though I had heard it was possible. I still had my doubts.

     "I wanted your advice about some situations with some guys that are bugging me. I haven't been able to sleep well, actually. You know them well too, and we're similar in a similar situation, so I figured I would try talking to you..."

    "Sure, shoot!" We broke comfortably into our original dialects and he gave me his full attention.

    "So, the first problem is Jaehwan. As you have probably guessed, he is freaking unbelievable filthy and I am very clean. He doesn't shower or wash his face, he leaves his things everywhere, his suitcase is spilling over everywhere in the middle of the floor I keep tripping on at night, and he never helps clean up even his own mess. Should I scold him or just clean up myself? We're in the same team and I know I'm the leader. But I don't want our group to have tension. At the same time, I really can't work well while living like this. It's a huge distraction and extra work I shouldn't have to do. He is very fond of me too. So, I don't want to make him hate me for being a naggy mom, but at this point I am just about to start..."

     "Ah, yeah, actually I noticed that, too. You're not the only one. It doesn't bother me or Hyunbin much. But it seems like it's been bothering Sungwoo and Jonghyun as well. They're just too kind to do anything but make a joke of it. I think we can just all have a calm discussion with him about all your concerns. Give a pro and con list about how keeping clean and organized affects teamwork and productivity. Then, we can just take turns nagging him here and there the rest of two weeks. Surely you won't be on the same team again."

    "Yes, hopefully not," I made a praying motion with my hands and Daniel laughed his trademark deep, rather goofy chuckle.

     "Who's the other person? What's your next problem?"

     "Okay, well this a bit more complicated. Also, it's private and potentially dangerous to my reputation so you cannot tell anyone. Especially Seongwoo . And it's kind of related to you actually."

     "Oh really? How? Hurry up and tell." He perked up like a puppy. I could imagine the ears and wagging tail even. 

     "The other is Seonho. You know as everyone else does in this entire  dorm, I'm sure, that Seonho has a bit of a friendly crush on me. "

    The puppy-like boy nodded several times in immediate agreement.

     "Well, things have gotten a bit out of control. He follows me everywhere and if that's not bad enough, he's constantly invading my personal space."

     "Like how for example?" Daniel pushed for details which was exactly what I was afraid of. But he was a kind, quiet guy, not a gossip, and I had already sworn him into secrecy.

     "I mean...." I let out a sigh, feeling suddenly hot and not able to look at him. I couldn't believe I was going to admit this.

     "He keeps trying to kiss me and he touches me all the time, sits in my lap, sneaks in my bed. It's way too much. I haven't even held hands with a girl properly. The first time was a fan. I've never had a girlfriend. I am fine being close to guys but that's just too close. It freaks me out and makes me uncomfortable. It's really really really too much."

     "He kissed you? Daebak!" Daniel said with a dropped mouth and clapped his hands like a seal.

     I shamefully put my hands over my face and sighed deeply. "Well, I'm not sure if he actually kissed me or not when I was sleeping. But as far as I know, I managed to stop him every time. It's not that I dislike him. He's a funny, sweet friend. I just don't like so much physical affection. He needs to act properly and not go overboard so much."

     "Why did you think I could help you though? I have no experience of my guy friends going around trying to make out with me."

His tone was slightly teasing in an aggrivating way.  He was trying hard not to burst out laughing which was quite a feat for the laughing virus.

    "You have Seongwoo ," I explained simply.

     "Huh? Seongwoo ? He's never tried to kiss me," Daniel responded with a confused head tilt.

     "Well, lucky you then. What I mean, Daniel, is that Seongwoo obviously is very fond of you. He follows you around and he gets very affectionate. But we're from the south, right? We're not used to doing that. And just like me, you're shy, quiet and conservative."

     "Hmm, I guess so," he said thoughtfully with a few little head bobs again.

     "Yet Seongwoo doesn't seem to bother you at all. You touch and together often. I figured it bothers you but it just doesn't show. So my question is, how do you deal with a friend that wants to be overly close?"

     Daniel thought for nearly a minute, staring at his twiddling thumbs in total silence and deeply furrowing his brows. I guess he had never thought about it. But how could he not notice what everyone else did practically? At least the ones that shared rooms with either of those two and saw them interact. Seongwoo was infatuated with Daniel and thought very highly of him. In my eyes, they were one of the closest pairs in the dorm. I never did get any advice from him but at this point, I didn't think he was much help. He wasn't ignoring or dealing with Seongwoo 's advances, he was completely clueless of their existence as of yet.

     I was interrupted by Jaehwan and Seonho at the same time. Seonho immediately came over to hug me. I patted his back and subtly jerked my head away from his face in case he tried to peck my cheek again. 

     "My lovely Minhyun hyung! I missed you. Did you miss me, too? You should have come to the store with us," he whined and pouted, snuggling up to me, and squeezed my waist tight.

     "Um, Seonho, I missed you too, but, um, you're squeezing a bit tight, it's hard to breath."

    He apologized and let one arm go. I supressed an annoyed sigh and headed for the kitchen. I needed to stop Jaehwan before he put food in the wrong place or three recyclable materials in the fridge. Seonho followed me like a chick would its mother. 

    "Jihoon hyung, how can I read this word?"

    In the kitchen were Guanlin and Jihoon. They were studying Korean together in the dining room. These days, several members had taken turns in their down time at the dorms or studios to teach the foreigner from Taipei. He wanted so desperately to communicate well with fans and the other trainees. Jihoon read the words and Guanlin practiced a few times. This repeated three more times. When Guanlin finally got it correct, Jihoon slapped his hand in a brotherly fashion. Then their hands dropped underneath the table, still linked from what I saw. 

 

 

Daniel's POV(Going back a few days before they became  split in groups)

 

     When we got home, all the trainees were exhausted. It had been a crazy couple of days performing and practicing the Nayana dance at M Countdown and a baseball game. At least I had Seongwoo to keep me awake and focused. He stayed by me and kept me chatting. It had really been helping to keep me energized and positive. Even with my constant lower rank.

      Tomorrow we would be given our new mission and split into teams. The mission would give some people benefit votes for the first evaluation and it was the first time we would perform in front of fans in a concert hall. It was a big deal, so this time we were going to be given proper time to prepare. Two weeks was still pretty short, considering we would start from scratch. But still much improvement from the last evaluation where we had three days.

     I hoped I was luckily put in a team with half people I didn't  know and half I was already friends with. That way it would be fun and I could also meet new people. I did like making friends and expanding my world. I needed to make a network with current and future stars. People  I didn't want on my team were people who had difficulty dancing, like those in F and Hyunbin or Park Seongwoo . People I wanted on the same team...well definitely Ong Seongwoo . I hoped there were more vocals than dancers and rappers this time. I wanted some more rap and dance parts and would rather not fight for it. I had so little in Nayana. That's probably why my rank was lower than my friends, that's all.

     We had eaten out with the company's card. So now all was left was to shower and rest. We had to get up early again, so no playing around all night this time. We excitedly talked about what the mission would next be as we waited for our turn in the shower.

     Most thought that we would be put into large groups and given a similar song to copy exactly and see which group made the most impact. We discussed who was recently made an issue from the recent appearances and Nayana broadcast. I wasn't one of them, but lots of guys we all considered handsome were, strangely a ton in lower ranks. Samuel, Jihoon, Jinyoung, Haknyun, Hyungseob, Daehwi, Hyunbin, Gwanlin, and Sungwoo were included. Not me, I was ranked a bit low, but not any where close to danger. I was happy for Seongwoo though. He deserved a high rank. I promised I would catch up soon. I just needed more camera time and a rap part, then I could easily show my charms.

     The shower was empty and I looked around for Jisung. He was in a room, towel drying his hair, already dressed in pajamas.

    Wtf? He showered without me? But we were always partners at this. Now who knows what random person I would have to shower with . That's what I got for always selflessly letting others go first. I voluntarily ended up one of the last.

    Come to think of it though, Seongwoo had earlier rejected Samuel when the boy had come by to ask about showering. Which meant he hadn't taken a shower either. 

     "Seongwoo , bathroom's empty. Lets go!"

     He hesitated a bit for some reason but I wouldn't allow him any time to reject. If it wasn't Jisung I was getting naked with, the best other option was Seongwoo . After all, we've held hands, hugged, and even snuggled up in bed, plus he had been around me half naked a few times already. I figured I wouldn't feel too awkward with him. It wouldn't for me at least. I doubted there was anything that would make me feel awkward with Seongwoo .

     I started stripping as soon as we closed the door. First, I dropped my trainer pants. Then, I threw off my t-shirt into the pile. I caught my nearly naked reflection in the mirror, and I was a hot mess. I fixed my messy hair and absently scratched my abs. They were still there but they were faint unless I worked out regulary. Then they were clearly visible for roughly an hour right after some pushups and situps.

     I wondered if Seongwoo ever worked out. He didn't look like it or like he was hiding any chocolate six pack. 

     Seongwoo 's eyes were currently wide opened, directed to my abs through the reflection in the mirror. His mouth was opened in surprise. I laughed in amusement, covering my mouth with the back of my hand self consciously. I couldn't resist teasing the older guy.

     "First time seeing a fit body, Ong? What's with the fan girl reaction? Are you blushing? Come on man, my body isn't that amazing. Not anymore. I have been snacking too much lately. Maybe I should go on a diet. What do you think?"

     I patted my stomach where there was more fat than I wished currently. It was those freaking gummies. I was addicted to them. But there was nothing like relaxing with sweet gummies while reading action comics. It was an addiction not so easily fixed.

     Seongwoo shook his head wildly, snapping out of his funk. He met my eyes and smirked with a slight scoffing noise. He couldn't fool me though, he was still all red and awkward like he was embarrassed and secretly hiding something. 

     "I've seen a million bodies better than that. I've got a pack, too."

     "Liar! Let me see then," I laughed brightly, reaching over to pull his shirt up.

     "No no no~ Uh-huh, no looksies," He stepped back, pulling his shirt ends down and maintaining that posture stubbornly. 

    "You're going to have to show me your pack soon you big liar. We're going to shower now."

     I went into the shower and turned on the water. For nearly a minute, I put my hand under the cold water. There was still no appearance or peep from Sungwoo, so I glanced back.

     I could not hold back a laugh again when I saw Seongwoo 's face. He was all red and fanning himself, pacing back and forth in front of the mirror, moving his lips and shaking his head like he was arguing with himself. He seemed totally flustered and at a loss. Was my body that much of a shock? Or was he just incredibly shy when it came to being intimate without clothes? Aw, he was adorable and hilarious even without trying. 

     I noticed he was still clothed and pointed to his shirt. "Hurry up and take it off. Some others are waiting. Unless you plan to shower fully clothed because you don't want your lie revealed," I teased with a grin and a playful wink. 

    "Turn to the wall and don't look back," Seongwoo replied, slipping into a corner with his back to me.

   I chuckled in amusement but obediently turned to the wall. I heard the rustle and dropping of clothes as Seongwoo got undressed. I couldn't resist taking a curious peak. Every man looked different yet the same, and sometimes I was surprised that their bodies were different from what I expected.

     My body was just what others expected, tan, big, a bit toned at the back and stomach from dancing and working out for years, a bit thick at the waist from snacking, and with an ample-sized bottom and thigh area which I was blessed with from my mom, I supposed.

    Seongwoo was the opposite of me. He was pale skinned from head to toe. His body was proportioned so he looked much taller and thinner than me despite that he was shorter and weighed a bit more. His legs went on forever and they had a much leaner shape and less hair.

     Actually he had a fantastic body, especially his legs which girls would kill for to have naturally. His shoulders were narrow and his upper body extremely thin but healthily lean. His upper arms and back were just slightly toned, suggesting he was rather strong. He clearly had a model's body. I was envious of his preportions, fair skin and those pretty legs. He wasn't yet too tall to find dancing difficult but it was enough to be noticed and I figured he got CF and modeling jobs often when it was paired with his ridiculously handsome face. Actually,  the last few years he had told me he had done a ton of part time modeling jobs. 

    When we got into the top 11 and debuted as a group together, I figured I would be our main dancer and he would be our visual. There weren't many people in this dorm that could dream of competing with Sungwoo for striking looks. Then, when you put his amazing personality and sense of humor on it, it was game over. Fans wouldn't notice anyone else.

    "Water's warm. Come on in," I called loudly, looking back at the wall and pretending innocence.

    I should keep my ogling to a minimum before he felt more awkward. Otherwise I would lose another shower buddy and hanging out with Jisung all the time could  get boring and predictable. Not that I don't love him to death though, don't get me wrong. It's like having strawberry ice cream every day. Sometimes you just want to have vanilla instead, something new and equally yummy.

     Hmm, vanilla ice cream, Seongwoo 's legs remind me of that, I thought as his pale legs and long, graceful, perfectly shaped feet came into view while I was looking down at the spraying water. I was always a leg and feet guy, but usually didn't have any kind of reaction to a guy's legs.

     He stood next to me, his arms crossed self consciously over his lean chest. His face was heated and he was biting his lip, looking away from me. Whoever thought this childlike Sungwoo could be more adorable than any other time, not to mention attractive. He had kept his boxer briefs on and I snorted to see they were tight and bright red. Sexy sexy Ong, huh?

     I was wearing rather loose sky blue boxers with puppy characters. I liked cute colorful underwear. It made me happier somehow and it was fashionable if I ever ended up flashing some skin while doing my b-boy tricks.

    The shower area was quite small so it was going to be nearly impossible to do this without touching. I hoped he was going to be okay with that. He seemed to have a fear of being naked and intimate with people he hadn't known long.

    Or maybe we weren't as close as I thought, maybe it was too early in our friendship for this kind of thing. Well, Jisung had found it a bit awkward too. They were probably just a lot more self conscious than me. I couldn't care about clothes or none either way. People were still people and we all had the same things on our bodies. No surprises or secrets. 

    I let him go into the water first, spraying his hair and back. To make things easier for him with his nerves, I chatted about random topics.

   "Soon it's going to be summer. I like the sun and hot weather. How about you? Do you like summer?"

     I learned that he did like it as well. It was both of our favorite seasons. Now Seongwoo was putting shampoo in his hair. I helped rub it in the back where it was more shortly cut and fuzzy. He had to wash his hair twice to get all the gunk out.

     "I like to go surfing or to the beach or swim in the water park. I am a big fan of the water. What do you like to do?"

     Seongwoo started lathering his chest, legs and feet. I kept the water away until he was all soapy. He stood up and handed me the towel. I scrubbed his back as he talked.

     I learned Seongwoo was scared of water but he liked looking at the ocean and going in shallow pools. He preferred to take walks, eat ice cream, ride bikes, go hiking and going on a picnic. I told him picnics sounded good. His favorite thing to do was take a drive along the coast.

     I suggested we drive down to Busan this summer and have a picnic lunch and ice cream at Haeundae. At night, we could walk around the beach, checking out the street musicians and performers, and we could get some fireworks and light them off. It was technically illegal, but in Busan, it was popular to do so everyone just let it slide by as long as you didn't dump your trash on the beach. Afterwords, I suggested he come to my house and spend the night. He said he really liked the idea and we promised to put it into works this year.

    I rinsed off his body with the nosel until all the soapy suds were on the floor, swirling into the drain. Then we switched places. It was my turn to wash up. I bent over and Sungwoo took the nosel from me.

    He seemed to be feeling a lot less awkward until now, but he suddenly started getting red and hesitating again. I swore his hands were almost shaking from nerves as he put the nosel to my back. He washed my body in silence and I couldn't think of something to talk about all of a sudden. I was feeling a bit shy too.

    It felt wierd having another friend pamper and put his hands on me, but in an extremely good, heart racing kind of way. His gentle touch and long, soft fingers made me suddenly nervous.

     He lightly swiped my back with his warm palm and I shivered. He put down the nosel and took some shampoo in his hands. Just like the other day, his hands relaxed me completely as they expertly massaged my scalp for several minutes. He was very meticulous about getting my hair clean. Or, from the way he was looking at me with a small, lopsided, goofy grin, he was enjoying it too much to stop.

     I switched between looking at his feet below me and his face as he squated next to me. Then, before I knew it, the lovely hair washing was done and I closed my eyes as warm water cascaded over my head and face. Then we both worked on washing areas of my body with body wash. I rubbed a towel on my chest and arms. Seongwoo rubbed a towel over my legs. Seongwoo surprisingly started the next conversation, though he seemed a bit out of breath and distracted through it.

     He asked about my hometown and if I missed it. I talked as he scrubbed from my feet to my thighs. He was shaking a bit the closer he was to my boxers and I honestly was too. The feel of his hands through the cloth made me shiver again and it was rather thrilling.

     He didn't wash much differently than Jisung, but no one had ever washed near there besides me, and somehow Seongwoo 's touch felt different. Warm, gentle, soothing yet also...exhilarating? electrifying? exciting? I couldn't put the word exactly on how his touch was making me feel. But I think it was something that was probably weird for me to experiencing with my male friend.

     He seemed affected to. He was red up to his ears and fighting back a grin, biting his lip hard enough to leave a mark later. His hands were slightly shaking still.

     Much too soon, he was done and I found myself feeling regretful. He washed away the suds with the nosel he had picked up again. Then he rinsed my chest and back. I stood with my back to him as he took the towel from my hands. He scrubbed circles on my back, pushing a bit harder than he had with my legs to get any dead skin and itches out.

      I closed my eyes and let my head hang, loving the feeling. He went over the whole area several times, his other hand swiping soothingly over the reddening spots where he had scrubbed hard with the towel. When the spots were less red and no longer painful, he stopped and rinsed the area off.

     "That was the best shower I've ever had," I murmured with a soft, content sigh.

     I noticed Seongwoo was flushed and his eyes widened again. Shi.t, had I said that out loud? I flushed and scratched my head, avoiding eye contact. I felt embarassed.

    "I just mean you're good with your hands. Like a masseuse."

     "Ah, really? That's good then. You're not so bad with your hands either." Did he have to wink at that moment? 

     I laughed and shook my hands in denial. "No, I'm not. I am so clumsy and my hands are too big, so I don't know what to do with them sometimes. At home, I was famous for breaking and dropping things. If I gave my family a massage, they said I put too much strength in that I gave them bruises."

     "Really, that bad, huh? I wonder how hard you were pushing. Let me see. Try massaging me."

     Seongwoo turned around and presented his back. I saw the hint of a mischievous smirk. Well, this was certainly different than his reactions earlier. It seemed like he wanted any excuse for me to touch his naked body now. I shrugged, warning him that it might seriously hurt and I was sorry in advance.

     I started squeezing at the top of his shoulders with what I thought was a gentle yet effective grip. He tensed and breathed in through his teeth.

    "Yah, that's not relaxing at all! You're way too rough."

    "Told you in advance I'm too strong. I don't know what I'm doing."

     "Well, what about with your cats? You probably scratch their ears and pet them. I'm sure you don't do it like that or your cats wouldn't like you. Show me how you treat them."

     "Hey, I would never hurt my babies!" I said defensively.

     "No, just people like your own family. Come here, I will show you some tips for a proper massage. I feel obligated to the world now. No more bruises."

     He took my hand and put it on my arm. From there, he taught me the correct way to handle circling and putting pressure on skin. I could feel just how strong my grip was and rough my skin compared to his which was rather shameful. I was finally able to figure out something I had been doing wrong. I was sure my parents would be much happier.

     "Ah, I think I've got it. Let me try."

     Seongwoo reluctantly turned around, grimacing and sending tensing up with the expectation of the previous pain. "Okay. Remember what I said and don't just jump into it..."

     "I got it, I got it," i said impatiently, resting my hands on his shoulders again, being fully aware of how much weight and pressure I was putting behind them.

     I had to treat others like I would handle a baby or cats. Handle with care like they were fragile. I slid my fingers along his neck, shoulders, and back for awhile. He relaxed, released all his tension when there wasn't immediate pain. Once he relaxed, I step by step followed his earlier directions, repeating them in a low breathy mumble, talking to myself which was something I did regularly actually. 

     Using the tips of my fingers, I lightly circled the muscles in his skin and found the telltale bumps that contained knots. I then pushed on them a bit in circles with my fingers and increased pressure later with the heel and side of my hand. 

      "Hmm," I was rewarded with a groan of pleasure. Sungwoo's shoulders seemed to lower and melt under my hands.

     The more knots I found along his shoulder blades and neck, the more pleasureful moans I could hear. I smiled wider and wider, feeling proud of myself. I must have been massaging him for a full five minutes it felt like.

     I didn't want to stop really. This new skill made people feel good and I liked doing that. I also loved doing things with my hands, it was relaxing and enjoyable and rewarding. Not to mention I liked the  feeling of Seongwoo 's skin. It was cool, smooth, and silky like touching fresh snow or brand new cashmere blankets. He was shivering slightly, melting into a deeply relaxed mode just from my fingers.

     "How was it?" I took a peek at his face after I stopped. I would have kept going but my inexperienced joints were tired out.

    "Fantastic actually. I think you found a new skill. I wasn't expecting you to improve so much after one lesson."

    "I know, right? I'm good at anything even on the first try," I bragged, flashing a proud, huge smile.

    "Hey hey there, Mr. God Daniel. Don't get cocky now," he teasingly lectured with narrowed eyes and wagged his pointer finger.

    "Why? It's too attractive that's why , isn't--" I playfully winked and elbowed him. 

    "Ah, bug!" Seongwoo exclaimed, looking behind me and interrupting suddenly. 

    I shouted and leaped forward to get away. "Where is it? I hate bugs! Find it and kill it right now!" 

    We both were panicking, looking around the room and ducking down in fear, our eyes half crazed. "Mosquito!" We both shouted and jumped around, trying to avoid the insect. I would have run out the door but the bug flying about was in the way. I was tempted to crawl through the shower drain at this point. I hated bees and mosquitos the most of all bugs. They hurt you.

    I wasn't thinking about the wet floor or the small quarters. I fell against him as I slipped. He caught me around the waist and my weight caused him to crash with his back to the wall. The momentum of the slip and fall made it difficult for me to right myself and we had been pretty close to each other.

    It was all too sudden so I didn't have a chance to turn my head or body as I crashed into his front. We ended up crashing face to face, our lips bumping slightly into each other luckily, not hard enough to make out teeth bump or cut our lips. But the fact was we certainly had an accidental kiss which was...well, awkward and horrofic.

    I pulled away and righted myself on my feet quickly but I didn't know how to react whatsover. Did I play it off, or apologize, or did I ignore it, or did I just act like it wasn't a big deal since we were friends?

    Seongwoo was speechless, his eyes strangely blank and narrowed. He was looking at my mouth, his arms wrapped snugly around my waist even though I was stable. I should have pushed him away and put some distance to us. Being all only a few centimeters away and touching with our faces extremely close considering how our height was the perfect match, well, it wasn't relieving the awkwardness of the situation.

     I felt flushed, my face heating in awkward embarassment.  At a kiss with a man for the first time and my inability to decide what to do about it.

     Seongwoo continued to stare at my lips with a weird expression.  His mouth didn't crack a smile at all which I really hadn't expected. What the heck was going on in his mind right now? Why were his hands so hot and gripping me rather tightly like he didn't have any intention of letting me escape? Which I desperately wanted.

     I kind of just wanted to hide from dealing with this awkward unforseen situation. Yet I was somehow stuck there, having been captivated by the look on his face and those dark sultry eyes.

     All of a sudden, I found out exactly what he was thinking and the answer to my curious questions earlier about his intimate preferences. When he gripped the back of my head and pulled me in for a desperate,  carnal kiss. It felt like days and hours of pent up emptions and desires spilling onto my tinted unshielded lips.

     I hummed in surprised for a second or two. Weird, weird, this is too wierd. A boy is kissing you. Your kind, sweet, always goofy friend Seongwoo is kissing you. Seriously passionately kissing you like a real man would like an actor would in a movie.

     What a wierd feeling it was to become a drama character suddenly. There were always those scenes where the guy suddenly kissed the girl in some accidental awkward situation, like falling off a chair while arranging something. There were short scenes similar to what just happened to sometimes two guys even. With the girl, it usually turned out she realized she was attracted, maybe even in love with the guy this way. They usually ended up kissing passionately for quite awhile.

      But that couldn't happen here. We were the comedy, right? Seongwoo was just playing a joke on me right now or something, right? Even him liking guys was impossible. I mean, he was every girls type, charming, handsome, masculine, sweet funny, gentlemanly and polished typical straight Seoul guy. He was no more friendly with guys than the average Seoul man.

     As I was having the hugest crisis argument with myself in my head, Seongwoo took my frozen shock I supposed as  a sign of compliance, or of no resistance at least. Maybe he figured I was one of those guys that had secretly been curious about experimenting with the boundary lines of my sexuality. That was when he ran his fingers through my wet hair and opened his mouth to nibble, kissing more gently and seductively.

     I think he was wanting me to kiss back. And for some unexplainable reason, I started to, ignoring all the reasoning that was going on in my head. I was insane. All I could think about was his kiss felt....nice. Extremely nice. Rather.... mmm, wonderful in fact. Better than any girl I had ever kissed. He knew what he was doing and a part of me was interested in discovering more of his excellent kissing skills.

 

 

Ong Seongwoo 's POV

(Seongwoo 's inner monologue turmoil. Old man of Reason. Inner Fangirl)

 

    Reason: Yah, what in the fudge are you doing right now. Idiot stop. Stop right now, I say.

     Fangirl: More, more, we need more. Bite his lips, give him tongue, pull his hair, let out your wild man.!

    Reason: You don't want this, man. It's not even mutual. He's in a state of shock. He doesn't know what he's doing at all now.. 

     Fangirl: Lies! He wants it, he does, just unconsciously. He's kissing you back. See? He's had lots of time to push you away. You've been kissing for almost a minute. Give him some tongue while you still have the chance. He hasn't come to his senses yet.

    Reason: This is wrong man. You shouldn't have kissed him yet. He's straight obviously. You have to take your time. If you keep going, you will jeopardize your guy's   friendship. Though it's probably history now. You fluffing idiot. 

    Fangirl: Tongue tongue tongue, just a little tongue at least. Your friendship is history no matter what more you do now. Wouldn't you regret experiencing that at least once? Since you're doomed anyway. Might as well go down in flames.

 

     I was as confused and lost as hell right then. I didn't recall how I had ended up attacking Daniel with kisses, our wet naked flesh pressed fully against each other, me leaning on a wet a bathroom wall while holding him. I recalled him falling. I recalled being surprised and catching him. I recalled something plush and warm brush my lips.

     Then he had been so incredibly close and in my arms and his lips looked so inviting and he was just standing there without pushing me away. His silence, expression, and body language were so confusing and difficult to interpret. Somehow I convinced myself he wanted this, too. But I could never have imagined things would progress to this, us lightly pressing our lips and nibbling for a long time, my hands tangled in his hair, his hands lightly stroking my back. 

     His arms changed suddenly from my back to around my shoulders. Then his big hands plunged into my hair, taking full control. We gripped each others heads and kissed harder. He parted his soft, full lips invitingly. 

     That's your chance, get it, toss that tongue in, delve deep like you're going cave exploring, my inner fangirl shrieked in triumph.

     But my inner reason was much stronger. I teasingly brushed my tongue on his and forced myself to stop in the middle. Now things were really going much too far too fast. And if I did go any further without knowing it was fully okay with him when he was able to reason and function again, then I would completely hate myself.

     I didn't want to ruin our chances of continuing to be friends. If I hadn't already, who knew. That would be a miracle in itself. I wouldn't find it easy to stay friends with a girl if she suddenly attacked me anyway, that's the truth.

     I reluctantly pulled away, leaving one lastling lingering peck. His lips tried to follow mine. Then I gently pushed him away. I didn't risk looking at him or trying to talk. We both needed some time to cool off , calm down, and think. I was going to brood over what to say, how to act, and how to make ammends to fix this and keep my friend all night.

     I grabbed my clothes and opened the door in just my boxers. I would change elsewhere. I really needed to get out of there.

     "Sorry, Daniel. I will explain later. Really sorry." 

     I left him staring after me in stunned silence, collapsed weakly on top of the bathroom counter. Taking a risk, I glanced at his expression. He looked thorougly kissed, red and panting, his eyes glazed over. He reminded me of someone just struck by lightening, especially with his hair all skewed from my fingers. Then I stepped out and closed the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been one of my favorite chapters to write since there's so much sexual tension oh yay. Sorry it's a long one again but the other couples I figured would make it short. Also, after I got this genius first kiss idea while watching wanna one go, I just had to share it with you. I love the idea of an accidental kiss gone completely hot and wrong in all the right ways. Also, I loved the idea of other people in the dorm gossiping about how obvious Sungwoo is and clueless Daniel is. Aigoo adorable Daniel so disconnected with emotions and interpreting his surroundings. I have a feeling he would take years to find out that someone likes him. I love writing about his confusion over Sungwoo and his own identity issues because of it. Sungwoo, on the other hand, now you found out his secret. Well, he hasn't been hiding it really but yup he's been gay this whole story. I wanted to reveal it in a less stereotypical way. Others can tell so easily buy nope not cute clueless Dan.
> 
>  
> 
> There's still a lot of silent readers that haven't let me know what you think about the chapters. I hope you have caught up reading? Anyway, it doesn't have to be anything long, but I would really love and appreciate if you could tell me what you liked in the chapter and what you would like to see in future chapters. That will help me write more quickly as I have an idea. Sorry that the recent chapters have been quite long. Actually, I try to make shorter chapters than I usually write but it's quite difficult to stop because I hate skipping details or cutting a chapter theme in half. 
> 
> I'm excited for their comeback. Boomerang seems like an awesome concept!


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